by K. M. Shea
“Careful,” Gavino warned from his spot behind me. “It’s a deep fall.”
“How far down is the ground?” I asked.
Gavino, able to see in the darkness with his vampire eyes, glanced down. “Just don’t fall.”
The track wound down in a corkscrew, and there was a fire trap on each level—which I destroyed with more bolts of lightning.
“It’s nice having a trained wizard.” Julianne patted my shoulder after I destroyed another crystal.
I snorted. “One of you would shoot these things to take it out.”
“Wouldn’t work,” Josh said from the back. “They’re enchanted against it.”
When we came to the next crystal—which Celestina marked out for me with a laser pointer—I took a moment to feel the magic layered around the crystal, and was surprised to discover Josh was right.
The only easy way to destroy the crystal was with wizard magic—which fae magic was notoriously weak against—or with another fae spell.
“It does seem like an architectural weakness.” Killian smirked as we walked over one of the lights embedded on the track. “One Tutu will be highly aggravated to learn of.”
“I can understand why it escaped her notice,” Rupert muttered. “Thinking to ward against wizards is like thinking to ward off rats.”
“Clearly not, or Hazel’s magic wouldn’t be nearly so useful. You can’t let your prejudices get in the way of strategy, Rupert, or you’ll end up dead.” Julianne’s voice was extra sweet, and when I glanced back at her she gave me a cheeky smile.
“Wizards are generally regarded as weak,” Killian said. “Mostly because they are unoriginal and fussy. Hazel, however, is proving what they could be. And while it is unlikely a House of similarly trained wizards will suddenly pop up, it is something Tutu should guard against in case of rogues.”
Killian’s observation silenced everyone, until the track came to an end, cut off by another giant door that was supposed to roll up into the ceiling like a garage entrance.
“A viewing area?” I asked.
“Precisely,” Josh said from the back.
“Expect enemies again,” Celestina warned. She peered up at the ceiling and shot at what looked like a locking mechanism, then savagely ripped the door up.
The viewing area was pitch black—not a single light. Knowing I wasn’t going to be any help, I crouched down, letting the vampires leapfrog over me. A few roars, the clang of swords, and all was silent.
“Clear!” Celestina called.
I stretched my hand above me and activated my blood, pulling magic from the air and transforming it into a big ball of blue light, casting a blue hue on the viewing area.
Celestina and the other vampires were busy tranquilizing the passed-out defenders—four werewolves, two fae, and two vampires—as I cautiously hopped off the track. At the far side of the garage-like structure was another track—this one wasn’t flat and train-like, but constructed by metal pipes. Clearly, it was the track the blocks were transported on.
Josh joined me, staring intently at his cellphone. “According to the schedule we saw on the office computer, the necessary block is still located in the Sapphire Bay, which is…this path.” He pointed to the metal tube on the far left.
“We’re going to walk to it?” I asked. “On a pipe?”
Josh adjusted his glasses. “The software used for controlling the blocks is highly sophisticated and imbedded with magic. Strictly speaking, it’s not possible for a vampire to run, and while you might be able to power it, the security to crack into it is beyond my rudimentary skills.”
I eyed the pipe—which was perhaps about a foot wide, but still circular, which meant it was going to be a heck of a lot easier to pitch over the sides. “Great.”
“You didn’t want to be carried,” Killian reminded me.
I rolled my shoulders back. “And I still don’t.”
“If you slip, there is a fairly good chance one of us will catch you,” Josh said.
I wasn’t sure if he was trying to be encouraging, or realistic, but the thought still wasn’t a happy one.
Killian smirked and motioned to the pipe. “After you, Wizard.”
Josh and a few other vampires hopped on the pipe with ease, starting down the path. I shot Killian a glare, but marched after them, my ball of light lagging behind me like a pet on a leash.
The walk was pretty uneventful, but only because Killian flung mints at three different sets of wards. Since I hadn’t seen much dragon magic before—though I was coming to recognize its sooty, brimstone-like flavor—I couldn’t tell exactly what they were for, but I was almost certain one of the wards caused instant death.
The pipe split, with the main path continuing on into darkness while a smaller pipe led to a docking bay dimly lit with red-hued lights. Even I could read the sign that said “Ruby Bay” from our pipe, so I was surprised when Josh and the leading vampires hopped onto the smaller pipe.
“This isn’t the Sapphire Bay,” I said. “Don’t we need to keep going?”
“We will,” Killian said. “But first we have an insignificant side task.”
I suspiciously peered at him over my shoulder—because nothing Killian labeled as ‘insignificant’ in the current circumstances could actually be a small matter—but fell in line behind Josh. My stride was a little wobblier since the pipe was much smaller. I clambered the last few steps and leaped onto the bay when I felt my feet starting to slip. I rolled on my shoulder and popped to my feet—a testament to all my new training—and brushed my clothes off.
Killian leisurely climbed onto the docking bay and sauntered up to the rows and rows of lockboxes. He meandered through them for a minute, then stopped and tapped a desk sized lockbox. “This one.”
I scratched my neck. “This one what?”
Celestina set a glittering gem on the lockbox, where it sparkled and gleamed. Unfamiliar magic pinged like ripples in a pond—it was so swift and sudden reacting I didn’t even have time to process what it smelled or tasted like—and the lockbox lock clicked before the door swung open, revealing a box stuffed with glittering jewels, a few gold figurines, and what I thought looked like a magic sword.
“What are you doing?” I hissed. “You said we weren’t taking anything besides the contents of my lockbox! You swore to Tutu you wouldn’t take anything else!”
“I said I wouldn’t take anything.” Killian reached into his tailored suitcoat and pulled out a cream-colored envelope sealed with a dollop of red wax. “I never said I wouldn’t put anything inside.”
Chapter Ten
Hazel
He set the letter on a stack of sparkling jewels, then turned his back to the lockbox and glided off.
Celestina shut the lockbox, nodding when the lock clicked, and all the vampires made for the small pipe.
“Come along, Hazel,” Killian called. “Don’t dawdle.”
I grumbled under my breath as I hurried to follow, slowing down as soon as I hit the smaller pipe. My skin was clammy from my rush of anxiety by the time we picked our way back to the main pipeline. “That was the Night Court’s lockbox, wasn’t it?” I asked.
Killian, now in front of me, paused long enough to smirk back at me. “I wonder…”
“I would have thought a fae Court would need a bigger lockbox,” I said.
“Fae Courts traditionally store their wealth in their realms,” Celestina explained. “The Midwest Courts only keep their truly priceless magical tools here. Supposedly.”
“It’s all guesswork,” Killian said. “Because we certainly haven’t seen the insides of a Court lockbox.”
I wanted to rub my forehead and squeeze the bridge of my nose, but I wasn’t going to do anything that compromised my balance at the moment, so I dutifully followed after Killian. “I bet your letter said something along the lines of ‘I was in here, guess what I stole’, right?”
Killian actually chuckled. “I don’t know if I should be proud that your intellec
t has clearly improved as a result of training with us, or concerned that you believe I am that predictable.”
I grunted, but some suspicious part inside of me finally relaxed. I knew there was no way he was doing this just for me—or to provide his Family with a good training experience.
We walked in darkness—except for my ball of light—for a few minutes, until the big pipe split again, this time leading to a bay lit with purple-y-blue lights. The sign read “Sapphire Bay”.
“This is our stop,” Josh announced.
Killian held his hand out to me, helping me make the jump to the smaller pipe. “I suggest you take only what you need from your lockbox,” he said. “Carrying a lot while we flee would be a pain.”
“Yeah, I just want the ring.” I inched along the smaller pipe, a drop of sweat dripping down my spine when my balance wobbled for a moment. “I can come back for everything else.”
The pipe connected about three feet below the bay rim, so I had to heft myself up over the edge of it. Most of the vampires jumped over my head and landed on the Sapphire Bay with hushed taps when their boots touched down on the metal floor. I brushed my hands off on my thighs, and I swear I felt my heart throb all the way down in my toes as I carefully zigzagged back and forth in front of the lockboxes.
It took me a few minutes to find the right block of lockboxes—it was located at the very back of the bay—and then another long minute to find my parents’ lockbox, tagged with a metal plate numbered 45228. Their lockbox was about the size of a shoebox—which was what I expected. We wizards did all right when it came to money, but very few wizard Houses managed to build enough wealth to rival vampires or fae.
My hands shook as I pulled the lockbox key out of a pocket in my jacket, and I could barely manage to turn the darn thing.
Finally. I was finally going to get the signet ring that proved I was the Adept of House Medeis. No matter how much the other Houses backed Mason, if I had the ring, they couldn’t take House Medeis from me.
I held my breath as the lock clicked and the small door swung open. The lockbox was stuffed. There were a bunch of documents—old letters and communications between wizards whose names I didn’t recognize—a pouch of gold coins that was so heavy I almost dropped it, and, pushed in the far back, a small velvet covered jewelry box. I pulled the box to the front and anchored my hands on the rim of the lockbox as I flicked the jewelry box open.
Inside, nestled in a velvet pillow, was a silver banded ring topped with a blue sapphire. The House Medeis coat of arms was etched into the rock, the symbolic unicorn and leopard curling protectively around it. This was it, the signet ring. My dad wore it a lot when I was a kid—he was the last Medeis, before me anyway. My mom had a matching silver band, but Dad always flashed the signet ring around for official occasions.
I rested a fingertip on the ring’s gem and felt the quiet throb of magic.
Killian loomed behind me. “That’s it?”
I sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah.”
“Then take it and lock up.” He turned, his arm brushing my back. “We’ll be making a fast exit.”
I snapped the jewelry box shut and put it in a zippered pouch secured to my belt. “I’m actually kind of surprised. I thought it would be way more intense to break in.” I closed the lockbox and pulled the key out.
Something rumbled deep in the ground, rattling the blocks and rows of lockboxes and making dust bunnies fall off the ceiling support beams. I cautiously looked around, and a few of the Drake vampires pulled out weapons—both blades and handguns.
“Tutu takes precautions to keep out potential thieves,” Killian said. “But the real crux of her security is the secondary layer of magic, enchantments, and wards…which drops the moment an unauthorized withdrawal is made.”
“Is that your hint that we better run?”
“Yes.”
I sprinted across the bay, skidding to a stop at the lip that dropped off into nothingness. It took me an extra moment to lower myself to the smaller pipe, and it was around then that I realized I didn’t need my magic light anymore. A hot, orange light sliced through the darkness of Tutu’s cavernous insides. The light brought with it the scent of ash and brimstone.
“Speed it up, Wizard.” Killian was already standing on the main pipeline, a slight frown marring his face as he stared into the ever-brightening light.
I hurriedly picked my way across the smaller pipe, but the light made my head spin. Not because of any magical properties—if only! But because it lit up the vampires, me, the pipes we crawled across, and the gorge the pipes traversed, letting me see the simmering pits of tarry magic at the bottom. Scorpions—giant scorpions that even I could see from this distance—scuttled across the top of the tar, their exoskeletons veined with threads of orange magic.
The drop was deep enough that it wasn’t likely I’d survive it if I did fall, but even if I did, there was no way I’d make it through those pits and the scorpions.
I tried to hurry, but the pipes had misted over with the heat the light brought, and my foot slipped twice.
Killian tilted his head as he studied me. “Gavino.”
“Your Eminence?”
“Assist the wizard in picking up the pace.”
“Sorry, Miss.” Gavino grabbed me from behind and tossed me over his shoulder so my belly hit his unfortunately tough shoulder muscles.
I first felt to make sure my pouch was still attached to my belt, then grabbed the back of his suitcoat and held on so I didn’t flop so badly as he leaped to the big pipe, then joined the others in sprinting down it.
Killian ran just behind Gavino and watched me with glittering eyes. “What, you’re not going to complain?”
“I’m smart enough to know I can’t keep up at this pace.” I spoke through gritted teeth so I didn’t bite my tongue. Gavino ran smoothly, but when you’re thrown over someone’s shoulder, you feel every stride. “And,” I added, “his hand isn’t anywhere near my butt.”
“I thought you would appreciate being carried like a princess instead of a bag of cat food.”
“Is this really a conversation to hold now?” I squinted into the light—which had started dim like a sunrise, but was now about as bright as the late morning sun.
Killian smirked. “You were the one to bring your butt into it.”
I was going to reply, but Gavino abruptly jumped, jabbing his shoulder into my stomach, so I wheezed instead.
The vampires covered the ground a lot more quickly, so only a short time passed before we reached the viewing station, where all the guards were still knocked out cold.
The orange light was now accompanied by a faint roar—which was fast growing louder—and a general rattle that made everything sway. “Does anyone know what magic that is?” I asked as Gavino jumped into the viewing area.
“We don’t have to.” Celestina yanked on the door, slamming it shut and temporarily blocking the light. “We can tell it will bring death.”
Gavino hustled across the viewing area—jumping over one of the snoring werewolf guards.
Uneasily, I smelled the floral scent of fae magic. “Gavino, wait.”
Gavino jumped out of the viewing station onto the much wider track. “I can’t put you down. You won’t run fast enough.”
“That’s not what I was going to ask—but we have to stop for a second.” I tried to brace myself so I could sit up, but he was going too fast for me to get the necessary momentum.
“Can’t.”
The rest of the vampires clumped behind us, increasing my worry.
“Wait—you don’t get it—stop!”
Something clicked, and I felt the fae magic burst to life.
I reached behind me and grabbed Gavino by the neck, half-choking him as I yanked myself upright and simultaneously opened myself to magic, which flooded my blood. Black-colored electricity shot across the track in sizzling volts that would fry anyone—wizard or vampire.
I threw my shaking shield up just i
n time to block the attack. The blue light of my magic shield absorbed the attack, and the black lightning disappeared as abruptly as it had come.
My shoulders heaved, and I let go of Gavino’s neck. “All I was going to say was you better give me a piggy-back ride so I can use my magic while you run,” I snapped.
A vampire behind us coughed in the awkward silence, but Gavino knelt down for me, making it a lot easier to slip off his shoulder and hop on his back instead.
I had to dig my heels into his side so I was tall enough to peer over his shoulder so I could see what was coming. “Sorry,” I said when I thought I kicked his rib.
“If you can keep us safe, this is nothing,” Gavino said.
I let more magic float through my blood as the rattling and rumbling increased, shaking the solid track we stood on.
“Move out!” Killian snapped.
Gavino and the vampires ran so fast I could barely see. I had to operate mostly on feeling. Whenever the taste of rosewater teased my tongue or my nose itched with the scent of soot, I shrieked for them to stop and tossed out one of my shields.
I think the vampires would have gone even faster, but the second time I had to warn them to stop, Julianne almost didn’t freeze in time, and nearly pitched over the side in her effort to avoid a molten ball of magma. Fortunately, Celestina managed to grab her by the wrist and throw her back on the track.
Killian had to use his mints a few more times—which worried me, but not as much as the orange light which had burst through the viewing area and crawled down the track after us, rapidly gaining speed.
I was hot and sweaty—for once not just from my magic or adrenaline, but because the fierce light was close enough to slather us in its brutal heat. My grip on Gavino slipped, and I would have fallen off him if he hadn’t been holding on to my legs. I grabbed the back of his shirt and threw a shield above us when I felt fae magic.
It blocked a hazy, green rain that dropped from the ceiling and hissed and sizzled when it hit my shield.
“Hurry!” Celestina jumped into the loading area and started tugging on the door.
