Maksohm ripped into the MISD letter first, his dark eyes scanning through it, expression lightening in relief as he did so. “Westhaven has agreed to officially host Toh’sellor. That’s the good news. However, since we have the issue of Toh’sellor being stolen, they’ve requested that the MISD come up with at least two other alternate sites. They want to change Toh’sellor’s location on a random basis throughout the year to keep this from happening again.”
“They want to play a shell game,” Vee said dubiously, eyebrows screwing upwards in bemusement. “With Toh’sellor.”
“Hard to steal it if you don’t know where it is,” Chi pointed out, rocking a little on his feet as he thought. “I can’t say it’s a bad idea. But that means Rena’s going to have to oversee the transfer every time. It’ll get tedious.”
Dryly, I assured him, “I will take tedious over our current situation, thank you very much. Dah’lil, is that all it says?”
“Well, no. President Fairfax wants us to rejoin the committee talks after we’ve investigated the situation here. She claims we’ve given her valuable input, and if we’re really to create two more facilities for Toh’sellor, there’s a lot more planning in store.” Maksohm said this matter-of-factly enough, but there was something in his body language that suggested he did not look forward to all of those meetings.
I didn’t think any of us looked forward to those future meetings. I couldn’t claim to, as they could be very boring. But I’d take boredom over the terror of a stolen Toh’sellor in the wrong hands.
Laying that letter down on the white bedding, he opened the second envelope and scanned through it. This one did not contain good news. Maksohm’s entire body shouted dismay.
“The suspense is killing me,” Bannen burst out. “What?”
“It’s definitely Toh’sellor.” Maksohm took a breath then lifted his gaze to mine, locking on. “Coast Guard reports sightings of strange creatures that resemble wolves, but they’re the wrong size, different colors, and some of them seem to be covered in lichen moss.”
I didn’t know whether to be happy about this confirmation or not. Having an end goal in sight, yes, we all wanted that. I especially wanted to wake up from this nightmare. But…
Emily bit her lip and offered, “If they’re seeing creatures like that, then doesn’t that mean Toh’sellor has escaped confinement?”
“At least once,” Vee rumbled in a dangerously dark tone. “Sards.”
“I wish I could think of a swear word strong enough for this situation.” Bannen scrubbed at his face with both hands, hiding his expression from view for a few seconds, and when he lowered them, he looked only determined. “Maksohm. We should not be the only team going in there.”
Maksohm nodded once in sharp agreement. “We won’t be. I’ll call this in and have reinforcements meet us there. It means delaying a day or two while we wait for the others to catch up, but I hope to use that time getting better intel.”
My mind raced ahead, thinking of logistics, of power, of people. “Dah’lil, can we get Yez?”
Blinking at me, Maksohm cocked his head, questioning. “I don’t follow.”
“These morons that stole Toh’sellor, we don’t know who they are or their agenda. I think someone who’s good at interrogation should be called in for when we finally get our hands on them.”
Bannen finished my thought process smoothly, as if we shared the same brain. “And who better to do that than a master spy.”
He considered it for a full second before shrugging. “I can’t fault your logic. I’ll request him. We might not be able to have him, understand; I have no idea if Yez is currently involved in a mission or not.”
“That’s fine,” I assured him. “I just know Yez, he’s familiar with Toh’sellor; I feel like he’d be the right person for the job.”
“I’ll ask,” he promised.
“Uh, not to be a downer or anything,” Chi looked around at all of us uncertainly—which, can I say? Not a good look on him, “but assuming we win the day and get Toh’sellor back to its natural self, what are we going to do with it? We don’t have a place to put it right now.”
We all stared at him in growing dismay. I hadn’t even thought that far, but he was right, we literally had no place to put Toh’sellor. Taking it back to that mountain range in Z’gher was right out. It was a bad idea in many respects, but Z’gher wouldn’t allow it anyway. Westhaven’s building hadn’t even had the ground-breaking ceremony yet. I could hardly haul it there and then expect them to build around it.
I turned to Bannen and found him already looking at me, and I could see on his face that he had the same thought I did. In near unison, we said, “Master Mary.”
“Your Void Mage master?” Vee checked, intrigued. “I thought you said she couldn’t be called upon to deal with Toh’sellor.”
“I said we couldn’t ask her to fight Toh’sellor,” I corrected. “Master Mary’s pushing eighty, and she’s in good shape for her age, but asking her to fight is a bit much.”
“However, babysitting Toh’sellor? That I think she’ll do.” Bannen snorted, amused at some thought in his head. “Although I have this feeling she’ll do something like stick it in her gardening shed and threaten it into behaving or else.”
I could just see her doing that. Amused, I inclined my head toward my husband. “He’s not wrong. Even at her age, Master Mary’s formidable. I think if we gave her a stripped-down version of Toh’sellor, and if someone put it under a barrier for her, she’d be able to manage it fine. I don’t see another good option, honestly. I don’t want to try carting it around with me.”
“Sards no,” Nora agreed while making a face. She looked like I’d just suggested eating rotten lemons with a side dish of moldy pickles.
“Ask,” Maksohm ordered me. “If she agrees, I’ll pass it along. Frankly, I think the higher ups would be very grateful for her aid in this, as you’re right, we don’t have a good option right now unless it involves you sitting on it. And we’d prefer to not have you tied down by this thing any more than necessary.”
I normally would have ducked into a room and called her, but at this range it would be very difficult and strenuous on me to hold a connection for more than a minute. TMCs only connected to other TMCs, so that was out, too. “Um, can you make the call for me?”
Understanding lit his eyes and Maksohm agreed instantly. “Of course. The mirror above the dresser, will that do?”
“I think so.”
No one else had ever met Master Mary, and I could hear Chi ask Bannen some quiet questions as we gathered in front of the mirror. Bannen explained in an undertone that yes, Master Mary was as formidable as I was—I didn’t know about that, but I liked the stroke to my ego—and that her husband-familiar, Gill, still lived. He pitched in a few details of exactly where they lived, too.
Then the call connected and I stopped paying attention to the conversation behind me as Master Mary’s face came into view. She looked a tad more pink than usual, meaning she’d either run to the mirror to answer, or had been cooking. She looked healthy, though, and that relieved me. At her age, it was a blessing. “Master Mary.”
“Rena,” she returned, voice cracking with age, even as she lit up in a smile. “Where are you, child?”
“Lalani. Master, there’s… a situation. I hate to call with bad news, but—”
She tsked me. “I figured it would be, unless your handsome husband has done something stupid.”
“Hey!” Bannen protested behind me, affronted. “I’d never.”
“Men never intend to,” Mary retorted with an evil grin, “but that doesn’t seem to stop them. And who’s this other handsome man with you?”
“Ah, this is Agent Dah’lil Maksohm with the MISD,” I introduced belatedly. Maksohm did a double take at being called ‘handsome’ for some reason. “The other agents behind me are Vee and Chinnadurai Franklocke, Emily Garner, and Nora Maksohm. The MISD did agree t
o our terms and assigned me a permanent team.” I didn’t say that these were the same agents who’d helped me defeat Toh’sellor the first time, as I’d told her enough stories that she’d recognize their names.
“Agents,” she greeted, and there might have been a flicker of relief that darted over her face. “Our Rena and Bannen are in your care.”
“More like we’re in theirs,” Vee answered with a polite half-bow to the other woman. “A pleasure, Magus.”
“Likewise. Alright, Rena, what trouble have you found this time?”
Shaking my head wearily, I corrected. “Old trouble unfortunately. Some idiot stole Toh’sellor.”
Mary stared at me, a woman waiting for the punchline of a bad joke. Then she rolled her eyes to the heavens, clearly praying for patience. “If it was anyone but you telling me that, I’d turn them bald for having such poor taste in humor. When?”
“About two and a half weeks ago,” I admitted a trifle sheepishly. I didn’t know why I felt that way, I just did. “We’ve been tearing up three continents looking for it, and we think we’ve found the location on the southern tip of Sira’s coast. I think I can tear it down to its original form well enough, but the problem is, where do we put it after I’ve retrieved it again?”
Her eyes narrowed either with suspicion or concentration, I couldn’t tell which. “You want to give it to me.”
“Temporarily,” Maksohm promised her hastily. “We have one building site in Westhaven confirmed, and they’ve started breaking ground, but we need time to get it built. We’re unable to take it back to Z’gher; they flat refuse to host it any longer, and it’s dangerous to put it back in a known area anyway.”
“Yes, deities, let’s not give idiot thieves another chance at it.” Mary looked at him appraisingly, that expression on her face not wavering. “How long are we talking?”
“Roughly six months,” he answered steadily. “I will of course put it under a strong barrier, or have another barrier specialist that I trust do so, in order to help you manage it. You’ll have our full cooperation and help during the entire operation.”
“I’ll need it, young man. I’m not as young and spry as I used to be. Still, I understand why you don’t want Rena babysitting it. A Void Mage’s power is often handy for other things, is it not?” Mary gave a firm nod, decisive. “Rena, you tell your bosses I’ll take it for now. Warn them I’m old, though, they shouldn’t push it past that six month deadline.”
I wished I could hug the stuffing out of her. “You’re the best, Master. And trust me, we all want this under proper lock and guard as quickly as we can manage it.”
“Go make the arrangements, then. And Bannen?”
“Yes, Mary?”
“If you get hurt again battling Toh’sellor, understand that Gill will retrain you. From the ground up.”
“You know, I’m sure that you meant that as a threat,” Bannen leaned over my shoulder, his hand at my waist to brace us both, even as he teased, “but that sounds like enticement to me.”
Mary rolled her eyes expressively. “Child. Be good.”
“Good?” he repeated as if she’d suddenly used a word in a foreign language he’d never heard of. Which was rich, coming from the man who now spoke three languages.
“You can be good. You just have to work at it.”
“You lost me at work. It’s one of those dirty four letter words. And not the fun kind.”
Knowing my duty, I reached behind me and pinched his thigh. He yelped and jumped, fussing at me while he did so. “You’re always on her side!”
Mary chuckled in a slightly raspy manner. “Thank you, Rena. I can always count on you. Go, go. I’ll make the necessary arrangements here.”
“Thank you,” Maksohm and I both chorused before he ended the call.
I heaved out a breath of relief. I really didn’t know what we would have done if Master Mary hadn’t agreed. “At least we have good news to share with our bosses when you call.”
“Always a plus,” Maksohm agreed. “Alright, everyone, go find your rooms. I vote we find dinner after I report in and get some rest instead of training. We’re going to need it.”
None of us could fault that logic and we all filed out. I snagged Chi’s arm as we reached the hallway, our respective spouses going ahead with luggage and room keys. I needed to make sure he was alright before we retired for the evening, and he likely wouldn’t own up to it easily if he still had problems sleeping. Intently watching him for any cues, I asked in a low voice, “You think you’ll be able to sleep well tonight?”
“I’ll be fine,” he promised me faithfully. He even meant it, not a hint of humor or sarcasm in his voice, just sincerity. “I now know exactly where we’re going, so even if something happens and we’re separated, I can still meet up with you there. That’s all I needed.”
A destination. A promise that we’d wait for him. My heart eased and I gave him a firm hug. “I’m glad.”
He hugged me back just as tightly. “Why are you so adorable?”
Giggling, I retorted, “Mad skill.”
“I believe it.” Releasing me, he shooed me on with a soft expression.
I went, believing what he’d told me, trusting that Vee would come get me if that proved not to be true. As I gained our room for the night, I found Bannen standing next to the bed, the luggage still properly latched, just waiting. Without his prompting, I informed him, “Chi thinks he’ll be fine now that he’s got a firm destination.”
Bannen let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I never want to see him like that again. It seriously worried me. He does understand that if he needs you, we’ll switch beds?”
Part of the reason why I loved this man so much was because he said things like this. He never doubted me, never let base emotions take priority when a friend needed help. “He does. And I love you.”
He blinked, pleased. “Not sure how that connected, but love you too?”
“It’s alright, you don’t have to understand,” I assured him. “It made sense to me. You think the hotel food is decent?”
Bannen accepted this with barely a blink, no surprise, as often I made no sense to him, and accepted the change of subject easily. Which, oddly enough, was another reason why I loved him. It was rare to find someone who accepted you exactly as you were.
Despite the insanity that was my life, I was truly a lucky woman.
Maksohm informed our bosses of everything and Director Salvatore quickly sent two more teams to help us. Rena worried that perhaps the agents that faced Toh’sellor before wouldn’t be willing to do it again. Instead, quite the opposite happened. We had a surplus of people volunteering to go. In retrospect, it made sense. I think it pissed them off royally that someone had undone all of their hard work. They wanted a chance to beat up on the dastards.
I was really of the same mindset.
I went for breakfast in the hotel lobby and found Maksohm already there, a plate half-eaten and a cup of coffee in his hands. “Morning.”
“A good morning, I hope,” he returned with a salute of the cup.
I went to the sideboard and all of the food out on display, filling a plate generously, not entirely sure lunch would happen. Agents were on schedule to arrive today and that likely meant a lot of meetings and things of that ilk. I wandered back to the table and sat next to him, tucking in. Everything was lukewarm but edible enough that I felt no need to go outside in search of something different.
“How’s Chi?” Maksohm asked me in that intent and serious way of his.
Knowing full what he meant by that, I answered the question bluntly. “He didn’t need us last night. When I passed their room, I could hear him snoring.”
Relieved, he gave me a grateful nod. “Glad to hear it. Sards, but he scared me. Chi makes questionable decisions when completely sober and rested. Sleep deprived, he acts like a drunken sailor on leave with a death wish. Vee was half-temped to knock him unconscious.”
“Don’t I know it. How’s Rena?”
“Still had a few bad dreams, but I think knowing where Toh’sellor is and having dedicated help in tackling it calmed most of her fears. She especially loves having Emily with us. Those two were up late talking.” I paused to shovel more food in my mouth and my mind jumped to a different topic. “Maksohm, have you considered what we’ll do once we actually have Toh’sellor in hand? Even under a barrier, I don’t relish the idea of taking that thing by train.”
“I’ve actually been sitting here contemplating that exact problem.” Sitting back, he toyed absently with the coffee cup, his eyes fixed on some distant point I couldn’t see. “Safely portaling any real distance with that thing is going to be tricky. I think what we need to do is set up a relay system of mages to portal us to Master Mary’s. If we can set it up now, that would be best.”
“Don’t include yourself in it,” I warned him. “After all, you have to set a barrier over it when we arrive.”
He waved this off. “Not so. The director already dispatched two of my cousins to Master Mary’s. They’ll take turns keeping a barrier up around Toh’sellor for the next six months.”
Two Maksohms? Granted, the whole family specialized in barrier magic, so that seemed a logical choice. “Are they staying with Mary and Gill? Ah, okay, but did someone warn them she only has one guest room?”
“Rena did,” Maksohm assured me, amused. “And to be more precise, it’s my cousin and his wife going.”
So, sharing a room and bed wouldn’t be a problem. Got it. It seemed that other, smarter people had already thought ahead and worked out the logistical kinks. For a moment, I was so focused on eating breakfast that I didn’t realize the silence stretched out in a very worrying manner. I looked up in trepidation because that silence had weight to it. “What?”
Remnants Page 20
