by B N Miles
He took it out and held it up toward the lights.
It was deceptively heavy, and Jared wondered if it was full of lead. The metal was cold against his hands, burnished silver and copper, with ridges all along its length. There were small shapes carved along the ridges, some sort of runes that Jared didn’t recognize, though he’d seen runes like them in books. The thing smelled like copper and ash, and he held it at arm’s length.
“What is it?” Jared asked.
“It’s a battery,” Taavi said.
Jared narrowed his eyes, staring at the thing, and opened himself to the priori. He should have been able to sense magic so close to him, but there was nothing coming from the orb itself.
“I don’t feel anything,” Jared said. “It’s just plain metal as far as I can tell.”
“That’s because it’s an empty battery,” Taavi said. “Found that little bastard in a museum. Not fun to steal, I’ll tell you that, and even worse when I got caught.”
“How did you get caught?” Jared asked. “I’m under the impression you’re one of the best.”
Taavi snorted and waved Jared’s clumsy flattery away. “Museum hired an Independent as night watchman. Didn’t know he was a Magi, and although I got in without issue, getting out was… complicated.” Taavi held up his burned arm and grimaced.
Jared looked at the burns and wondered how he hadn’t heard about this. If a Magi had burned someone this badly, it should have been all over the MetaDept office.
But then again, museums were complicated. They were part civilian, part Meta Department installations. They tended to hire normal, unaware Humans as their art historians and let the civilians go wild. Meanwhile, Magi worked behind the scenes to collect and protect as many powerful magic artifacts as possible. They tended to be few and far between though, since the Magi families had been hoarding anything with a hint of power for generations.
“How does it work?” Jared asked.
“You store priori in it,” Taavi said. “Don’t ask me how; I don’t have a clue. I was only told that it was a battery for a Magi, and it could hold a significant amount of unshaped potential inside it.”
Jared stared at the thing as the implications slowly moved through him. For a normal Magi, the priori had to be brought into the world, into their body, then shaped through a memgram before manifesting in the world. That meant a Magi’s own physical form was in essence the storage vessel.
But being able to take priori and store it outside of a body could change everything. It would mean a normal Magi could use so much more power and not have to worry about overloading their body or wrecking their mind with the Need.
“I didn’t know something like this was possible,” Jared said.
“The ancients made a whole lot of shit,” Taavi said. “Most of it is outrageously dangerous, and some of it’s just… a battery, I guess.”
“My family hired you to find this?” Jared asked. “I don’t understand why.”
Taavi laughed, a sharp bark. He shook his head and leaned forward on his knees, eyes hard.
“Your family hired me, but they’re just the middlemen,” he said. “We both know who’s really pulling the strings here.”
Jared kept still, the battery perched in his hands. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“The Medlar,” Taavi said. “They’re the ones collecting these things. Your family just helped out with this particular job.”
Jared leaned back in his chair and lowered the orb down into his lap. He stared down at the thing and rolled it around between his fingers, feeling the weight, the metal against his skin.
“How do you know that?” he asked.
“Because this isn’t the first time the Medlar have hired me,” Taavi said. “Before, they sent their own representative. That was an easy job, out in Oklahoma. But in Philly, I guess they wanted to distance themselves a little bit, since I’d be hitting a major museum. If shit went sideways, they probably wanted some plausible deniability.”
“And they set up my family as the fall guys,” Jared said.
Taavi spread out his hands. “That’s my guess, at least.”
“Why would my family work with them?” Jared asked.
Taavi only shook his head.
They sat there in silence for a moment as Jared mulled that around. His family had never been on good terms with any other Magi family, but least of all the most powerful of the nine. He couldn’t think of a single reason why any of his kin would agree to work with any other family, much less the Medlar.
Unless there was something of value in it for them.
“You said there’s more than one,” Jared said. “How many did you steal for the Medlar, exactly?”
“Six,” Taavi said.
Jared sucked in a breath and stared at him. “That can’t be true.”
Taavi smiled and patted the bed, bouncing just a little. “I’m not lying to you, Magi Jared,” he said. “I have no reason to. The Medlar want to come find me and fuck me, your family wants to come find me and fuck me, and the museum has their fucking dogs on me too. Not to mention whatever the MetaDept can muster. I’m not in a position to bullshit.”
Jared looked at the battery then moved it away and dropped on the table. It landed with a thunk and didn’t roll.
“What would the Medlar need with so many of these?” Jared asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “They don’t share that sort of thing with their contractors.”
“Take a guess.”
Taavi laughed. “You’re the Magi. You’d have a better idea than I would.”
Jared took a breath and nodded. “All right. What else do you know about the Medlar? Anything at all?”
Taavi slid his hands along his thighs again and stared at the floor. The lights in the room flickered, and Jared readied a shield memgram as a jolt of adrenaline shot through him.
But lightning didn’t strike, and the lights stabilized.
“You know what it means if I start talking,” Taavi said. “If I start spilling secrets.”
“I understand,” Jared said. “I can help you.
“You can’t protect me from them,” he said. “I have no reason to think you could.”
Jared paused for a few heartbeats, studying Taavi, before he reached into his back pocket. He pulled out his badge and held it out.
“You’re wrong about that,” he said.
Taavi leaned closer, a frown on his lips. He stared at the badge then let out a rough laugh.
“Meta Marshal? Are you kidding me?” he asked.
Jared smiled a little and placed his badge down on the table next to the orb.
“Not at all,” Jared said.
“Why the hell would a Magi work for the MetaDept as some pencil pusher?”
“I have my reasons,” Jared said. “And we’re not all pencil pushers. All you need to know is that I have the power of the MetaDept behind me. We can take you into custody, offer you real protection. I can’t promise you’ll end up somewhere comfortable, but at least you won’t end up dead.”
Taavi shifted on the bed and laughed again like he could barely believe it.
“If I go with you, I’ll end up at Meta Max,” Taavi said. “I’m not sure how that’s any better.”
“Probably,” Jared said. “But alive in Meta Max beats dead anywhere else.”
“I’m not sure about that.” He made a face and touched his chin. “You have to be able to do better than that.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
“I know things,” Taavi said. “The Medlar aren’t as careful as they think.”
“That might help,” Jared said. “But I can’t make any promises.”
Taavi grunted and shook his head. “You have to give me something. If I’m going to talk…” He trailed off.
“I swear I’ll bring you into custody,” Jared said. “I’ll make sure you’re taken care of and kept alive. That’s the best I can do.”
Taavi sighed, leaned his
head back, and closed his eyes. The lights flickered, dimmed. “Fucked,” he said. “Truly fucked.”
“What do you know about the Medlar?” Jared asked, leaning closer. “Give me something, Taavi.”
“I can give you a lot,” Taavi said, head still back, eyes still closed, face pointed toward the ceiling. “Those bastards. They’re not as careful as they think they are, you know that? Arrogant fucking Magi. No offense.”
“What do you know?” Jared pressed.
Taavi brought his head forward, opened his eyes, and stared at Jared. Silence hung in the room, and Jared thought he might have lost his chance.
But then Taavi took a deep breath. “They have a facility,” he said. “In Arizona. I know all the spheres I stole for them ended up there. It’s a research place, doing cutting-edge Magi shit, I’m not exactly sure what. But all the batteries have ended up there, so whatever they’re up to, it needs some serious power.”
“In Arizona?” Jared asked.
“Out in the desert, in the Sonoran Desert. They have this facility out there, tucked away in some enormous mountain or hill or something. It’s near Scottsdale, you know, where Frank Lloyd Wright built that crazy house.”
“Scottsdale, Arizona,” Jared said. “And the Medlar are hiding some kind of… facility out there.”
“That’s all I know about it,” Taavi said. “Each orb got sent there. I never actually visited the place.”
Jared leaned back and stroked a hand through his hair. He glanced at the orb, and for a second, he thought the thing began to shift and roll. But he blinked and it was still in the same position, heavy and motionless beside the badge.
“All right,” Jared said and looked back at Taavi. “I want more, but that’s a start, at least.”
“I’ll give you more after I get assurances,” Taavi said. “I need to be protected, I need to be kept safe. I’m not sure I can trust you, but at this point, I don’t have much else.”
“I won’t let you come to harm in Marshal custody,” Jared said. “You have my word on that.”
“And keep that psycho girl away from me,” Taavi said.
Jared smiled a little. “Sorry about her. You really shouldn’t have hit her with that lightning.”
Taavi grinned back. “Yeah, probably shouldn’t have, but can you blame me?”
“Not really.” Jared said then stood. “If you’re serious about trusting me, then I’ll put a little trust in you. Stay here, don’t move, and let me call this in to my boss.”
Taavi leaned forward again, a hint of urgency in his voice. “Hurry,” he said. “If you found me, the Medlar can’t be far behind. You realize that, right?”
Jared gave him a flat look. “We’ve dealt with the Medlar before,” he said. “And we’ll do it again. Stay put.”
He walked to the door and pushed it open.
The lights flickered again, off and on. He stepped outside beneath the overhang and watched the rain drip down onto the pavement below.
He heard Taavi curse quietly to himself just before Jared shut the door.
24
Jared scanned the parking lot for motion but everything was still. Headlights from passing cars reflected off puddles in the uneven parking lot pavement. He didn’t know where Jessalene and Lumi had gone, but he hoped they found Izzy and were getting Lumi some help.
He couldn’t sit on this, though. Taavi was right, if Jared had followed the trail here, the Medlar could be on their doorstep at any minute. He needed to get the Marshals here as soon as possible if he wanted to make sure he kept his promise.
He took out his phone and dialed Wyatt’s number. The office line rang and rang, and he cursed as he paced toward the motel’s office. He hung up when he got the machine, because of course Wyatt wasn’t at his desk in the middle of the night, and called his boss’s cell phone.
Wyatt answered with a grunt. “What?” he said.
“Sir, it’s Jared.”
“Jared,” Wyatt said. “My favorite agent. Also, my least favorite.”
“Not sure how to take that.”
“Take it for what it is,” Wyatt said. “What’s going on?”
“I found the Plethoak,” he said.
There was a short silence. “Taavi Plains?” he asked. “You’re kidding me.”
“Not at all, sir,” Jared said. “I recovered the object as well. He’s hiding out in a motel in Avonmore, Pennsylvania. It’s the only motel in town. He wants to come into Marshal custody, sir. He’s afraid of the people that hired him.”
“MetaDept protection, huh?” Wyatt sounded interested, but wary. “And what do we get in return?”
“We close a case,” Jared said. “And keep a man alive.”
“And what else?”
Jared let out a breath. He reached the end of the motel and lingered outside of the office. He could see the clerk sitting behind her desk, sipping a can of Coke and clicking away at her ancient computer.
For a second, he debated not telling Wyatt. He wasn’t sure how much Wyatt needed to know about the Medlar and what was happening with Cassie. He knew he’d been getting pressure internally from above, and that pressure was coming from Medlar agents within the MetaDept.
If Wyatt could be kept out of the loop, he’d have a little plausible deniability.
Just like the Medlar themselves when they hired Jared’s family.
“He has information,” Jared said. “Information that I desperately want and need. But it’s information that isn’t pertinent to any ongoing investigations, and I’m not sure you need it.”
Wyatt was quiet for another beat. “All right, then,” he said. “Stay where you are, keep the suspect in custody.”
“We need backup as soon as possible,” Jared said. “He thinks the Magi that hired him are going to come for him sooner rather than later. I’m not sure how long we can wait.”
“I’ll send what I can,” Wyatt said. “Stay put. I’ll get in touch with the locals.”
“Local PD might not be enough,” Jared said. “We might need real firepower.”
“Hold tight,” Wyatt said. “I’ll get back to you soon.”
The line went dead and Jared let out a sigh. The lights flickered again, and Jared looked into the office as the clerk smacked her palm against the side of her monitor. He smiled a little bit as she hit it again and leaned back in her chair, grumbling to herself.
He turned to head back but caught site of people heading up the short driveway and into the parking lot. He squinted for a moment and realized it was Lumi leaning her weight against Jessalene, both of them wet from the rain, limping back toward the motel.
He ran out from the cover and felt the rain smack against his hair. He hurried toward them as the pair slowed.
“What happened?” Jared asked.
Jessalene shook her head. “We couldn’t find them,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“They weren’t at the diner,” she said. “They were supposed to go to that diner just down the road, right? But they weren’t there.”
Jared clenched his fists then moved closer and reached out for Lumi. She gave him a half smile as he took her weight form Jessalene and cradled her against his chest.
“How bad?” he asked, his voice quiet
“I’m okay,” she said, her voice sounding thick. “I’ll be okay.”
He looked at Jessalene, and she just shook her head, her eyes worried.
“We might have to get her to a real hospital,” Jared said. “If we can’t find Izzy soon.”
“No,” Lumi said. “No, too many questions. And the Plethoak? Where’s the Plethoak?”
“Taavi’s in his room,” Jared said. “We worked out a deal.”
“What deal?” Jessalene asked.
“He’s coming into Marshal custody and we’ll keep him safe,” Jared said. “In return, he’s giving me information about the Medlar.”
“Can’t trust him,” Lumi slurred.
Jessalene frowned a l
ittle, her eyes moving toward the motel. Jared followed her gaze as he held Lumi tight against him.
“We should get inside,” Jessalene said. “We’re drenched. We can get Lumi into dry clothes at least.”
Jared nodded, but before they could move, the lights flickered again.
They came on and off in rapid succession, blinking a desperate rhythm, then brightened in a huge burst. Every light was on and at their maximum luminosity, bathing the parking lot in light , reflecting off the puddles, like spotlights glared directly at the front of the motel.
“What the hell?” Jared said.
“Taavi,” Lumi said, trying to push herself from Jared. “We have to—”
Her words were swallowed as an explosion rocked the motel.
25
Compressed air burst out from the inside of the building as the parking lot shook like an earthquake. Every window and door blew outward, shattering and scattering wood and debris onto the pavement. The “T” in the sign tilted further then snapped off, teetering forward, and fell face-down. It smashed into pieces against the asphalt. Chunks of roof burst upward in a spray of plaster and insulation.
Jared threw a shield around them without thinking. Shrapnel scattered off the hardened air. Car alarms went off, their lights flashing, their horns screaming. Jared hugged Lumi against him, turning his back to the motel to shield her from the explosion as Jessalene pressed herself against his arm.
Then there was silence, punctuated by car alarms blaring.
“Taavi,” Jared said. “Fucking Taavi.”
“What happened?” Jessalene asked, but Jared’s ears were ringing.
He moved Lumi away. “Are you okay?”
“Get him,” she said.
Jessalene reached out and took Lumi, pulling her tight.
“Get her in the car,” Jared said. “And don’t fucking move.”
Jessalene nodded, her eyes wide, and started to tug Lumi away.
“You might need help,” Lumi said. “Wait, Jared. You might need my help.”
Jared turned from them, ignoring their protests. He dropped his shield and strode toward the wreckage.