by Kal Aaron
“I want to be very clear on this.” Lyssa swallowed, her heart thundering. “You’re saying Lee, as in Imperial Sage Lee, the guy I least like to have meetings with, has been assassinated?”
“Obviously.” Samuel snorted. “You think I’d be here if it was some other Lee?” His mouth twisted into another grimace. “The death of any Sorcerer is a matter of concern, and those among non-Torches and Eclipses are even more worthy of attention. This confluence of circumstances is troublesome because his duty is monitoring Jofi.”
“You think someone killed him over Jofi?” Lyssa reflexively glanced down at her holsters, but they were back in the safe. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but are you sure you’re not being paranoid? I don’t know everything Lee was into. He could have pissed someone else off, and they took him out for completely unrelated reasons.”
Samuel turned toward her. “Sorcerers don’t die all that often. You’re a Torch, and you’ve only killed one in your entire career.”
“Eclipses kill more.” Lyssa shrugged.
“But even those deaths are rare,” Samuel said. “When many of our kind start dying, it becomes a matter of concern. An inflection point that risks destabilizing the entire Society.”
“We’re sure it was a Sorcerer who killed him?”
Samuel looked uncertain. “It was Shadows armed with shards, but the targeting and weapons suggest a rogue might be involved. For various reasons, I don’t believe this is related to Adrien Allard.” He winced and dropped his hand to his side.
Lyssa grimaced. “Are you all right?” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re keeping up an illusion so I can’t see that you’re hurt, aren’t you?”
Her gaze dipped to the seat. Blood drops stained it.
“What the hell, Samuel?” Lyssa reached into her pocket to pull out healing and pain herbs. “You could have told me you were hurt.” She offered him the herbs. “If you’re still bleeding, that’s a problem.”
“Thank you.” He chewed and swallowed the herbs before looking out the window. “But I’m in my regalia. I’m not dead or mortally wounded. My wounds will heal.”
“You could have told me you were hurt.” Lyssa sighed. “That explains why you’re so upset. What happened? Did someone jump you and Lee during a meeting?”
Samuel replied, “He was killed this morning. The details remain unclear. Shadows armed with shards attempted to kill me five hours ago. Unfortunately, I was overzealous in my defense, and there were no survivors left to question.”
Lyssa raised a brow. She didn’t always respect Samuel. She thought of him as the fossil who liked to harass her and forgot that his age meant greater mastery of his essence. There was no such thing as a defenseless Sorcerer.
“There was one body recovered from the site of Lee’s murder,” Samuel said. “And a shard dagger, but there’s evidence of at least a half-dozen attackers.” He took a deep breath. “He and I weren’t the only ones who were targeted.”
“Oh, crap.” Lyssa’s jaw tightened. “I don’t like where this is going.”
“There were attacks against four different Sorcerers in the last twenty-four hours, all by Shadows wielding unusually powerful shards and high-end conventional weaponry. In addition to Lee and me, the other two Sorcerers attacked were both involved in Jofi’s sealing.” Samuel ground his teeth. He’d left one hand on the wheel despite the engine being off. “Only Lee was successfully eliminated, but no one has been able to capture any of the attackers alive.”
Lyssa wondered, “Should I have left Jofi home? If someone’s going after him, that’s all the more reason to bring him along.”
“And have him be a party to this conversation?” Samuel scoffed. “He can’t be released. We can’t risk the seal.”
“Listen to me!” Lyssa shouted. “Someone could be in my house stealing him right now.”
“That is unlikely,” Samuel replied, giving her a cool look. “Your house is being watched during your absence. If anyone breaks into it, your house will be destroyed, along with anyone inside. Our previous research suggests your guns will survive such an attack and not release the spirit, so I’m not worried.”
“What?” Lyssa stared at him with her mouth open. “Are you insane? Destroyed, as in, blown up?”
“Yes.” Samuel gave a firm nod. “Once you return to your home, I’ll be less worried because I’m confident in your ability to defend it, but for the next few hours, extreme measures will be taken if necessary.”
Lyssa scrubbed a hand down her face. “This is insane. How are you going to explain away a random house exploding in Scottsdale?”
“That’s trivial.” Samuel half-closed his eyes. “Gas leaks are tricky things. They happen more often than you’d expect.”
“Should we even be talking?” Lyssa asked, glancing at the bloodstains. “Maybe you should be resting.”
“There’s no time for that,” the Elder replied. “This was an unusually high-level attack on the Society. It was coordinated and involved many shards and an attack on an Elder. That all points to a rogue Sorcerer being involved, a knowledgeable and dangerous one.”
Lyssa nodded. It was strange to be a few steps behind in paranoia for once. “I know you didn’t take anyone alive, and it’ll take more time to do an investigation, but do you have any idea who it might be?”
“Not yet.” Samuel let out a breath and fully opened his eyes. “Your foster mother’s herbs are particularly effective. Offer her my thanks the next time you see her.”
“I will.” Lyssa glanced in the side mirror, now worried about an ambush. “You must have some leads. There’s no way someone surprises that many Illuminated without leaving a trail.”
“It’s unclear,” Samuel replied quietly. “Some have suggested Tristan St. James might be involved.”
“Why?” Lyssa asked. “Everything I’ve heard about the guy says he’s a loner. Using a bunch of Shadows with shards or guns isn’t his style.”
“I’m dubious about that explanation as well. The only real link to the theory is existing distrust and a potential link to Jofi in that Mr. St. James’s essence is spirit.”
Lyssa thought about the possibilities. She’d thought someone was hunting her before but had put the idea out of her mind. The idea might have been wrong for a different reason. They might have always been interested in Jofi and not her.
“Just to entertain the theory for a moment,” she began, “it might be that Tristan knew Lee would warn the rest of you. This might have been him trying to take out all of you before you were alerted and ready to deal with him.”
Samuel replied, “I have a great disdain for Mr. St. James, but I’ll also admit that all of his unauthorized targets thus far were later proven to be dangerous rogues seeking to undermine the Society or our rules for gain. I won’t claim I have knowledge that every man associated with the sealing was without flaws, but there were few Illuminated more dedicated to the Society than Lee.”
“Even you?” Lyssa asked with a raised eyebrow.
Samuel nodded. “One could say that, yes. He could have been an Elder long ago but believed he could do his best work for the Society in a more active role.” He looked out the driver’s side window, his expression somber. “I know you don’t always trust me, Miss Corti. I haven’t taken extreme offense to it because I’m aware of your predilection toward mistrust, and I do understand that a Torch accumulates more dangerous enemies than the average Sorcerer. With all that in mind, I’d also hope you don’t believe I’m a corrupt rogue deserving of unauthorized assassination at this point.”
Lyssa shook her head. “No. I trust you enough to not believe that.”
She thought that over. Most of what she knew about Tristan St. James had come from Samuel. He could have lied about the Eclipse, but she didn’t believe that, and what Samuel had told her matched what little else she’d dug up.
Samuel’d had plenty of opportunities in recent months to set her up for an ambush. He knew her capabilities and pri
mary spells well, yet all the people coming after her didn’t have that knowledge or didn’t deploy it well. For now, she chose to believe him and his version of events. Being ambushed by an unknown foe didn’t bolster his all-knowing-Elder image.
“Okay.” Lyssa nodded. “I get what’s up, and I assume you’ve got some sort of plan.”
“The others involved in the sealing are beefing up their security,” Samuel replied. “That leaves you. I trust your ability to defend yourself, and your training makes you better than most of the targeted Illuminated, but you should consider going into hiding until we finish the investigation and send an Eclipse to track down and eliminate the mastermind.”
The defenses on Lyssa’s house were good at protecting her from spying via sorcery and total surprise, but not from more fundamental damage. Samuel’s unknown goons weren’t the only ones who could destroy it with a straightforward attack.
If this was about Jofi, they’d want to make sure they secured him. Damaging the pistols might not be enough, and a big mess would attract big attention. The entire state of Arizona remained on edge over the incident in Cochise County, with National Guard units still activated for rapid response to potential monster incidents in the bigger counties, including Maricopa. An individual Sorcerer was tough, but he wasn’t going to win against an entire military company.
There was something else Lyssa didn’t like about the situation. Samuel had theories and a crime, but no real suspects except for one who he didn’t believe was the culprit. That didn’t speak to rapid resolution. Lyssa had better things to do than hide in hotels. She also couldn’t risk going to her foster parents’ house and getting them involved.
Defense could only take a person so far. Winning the fight required them to punch back eventually.
“Wouldn’t it be better to lure him out?” she asked.
Samuel’s brow lifted. “I’m intrigued. I considered the possibility on my way here, but I thought it unreasonable to ask you to do something that dangerous. A voluntary request is a different matter, but I’m surprised you are so eager. Is this an attempt to prove yourself? It’s not necessary.”
Lyssa took a deep breath. “Look, I need to go to Last Remnant, and I can’t have some crazy rogue chasing my ass while I’m doing it. I’m already going to need to watch my back. This guy might be related to some of the previous incidents, or he might be someone else entirely, and I don’t know if he has anything to do with my brother. I’ve got my investigation to take care of, and I don’t like the idea of some asshole coming for Jofi. And whatever this jerk’s got in mind, it probably ends with me dead.” She shrugged. “So why wait? Why not bring it on and get it over with? I’ll be happier, and the rest of you won’t have to hide in your bunkers.”
Samuel frowned. “Given that it’s likely a rogue, we must acknowledge that a Sorcerer with this level of resources will prove a dangerous foe.”
“As opposed to a guy who can flood a mine with monsters that combine into a giant monster?” Lyssa let out a strangled laugh. “I fight and kill for a living. So I’ll spend a little more time in regalia. This guy wants Jofi that badly? I’ll show him his barrels up close and personal.”
Samuel cupped his chin, the tension leaving his face. “I do have another concern. The approval for your trip to Last Remnant might have precipitated this series of attacks in some manner.”
“Now you’re thinking like me. Scary world I live in, isn’t it?” Lyssa grinned. “You really think that?”
“It’s a possibility, nothing more. It’d make more sense to attack you there or on the way rather than go after the rest of us and then you. The Tribunal has been aware of the Jofi situation from the beginning.” Samuel motioned to her. “I can’t say your plan is the worst one from our available choices, but I can’t risk collateral damage.”
“Blowing my house up isn’t collateral damage?” Lyssa asked.
“No, because we’d only destroy your home and no one else, other than the rogue or his minions.” Samuel’s smug tone had managed to sneak back in. “But in the event of a battle with an assassin, you couldn’t assure such a thing. You can’t act as bait anywhere that risks Shadow injury.”
Lyssa blew a raspberry. “That’s not hard. All we need to do is set up a fake job that’ll involve me being away from a populated area and pass it through Society channels. Be a little louder about it than normal. Anyone who can ID the people involved with Jofi’s sealing will be tapped into that sort of thing already. Make sure this is an internal Society job so the EAA doesn’t get involved, and there you go—no real worries about collateral damage.” She smiled. “I’m sure you can lie to the EAA with brilliant and stunning skill.”
Samuel nodded, eagerness on his features. “That isn’t a half-bad plan, Miss Corti. I’m impressed, though I do question your nonchalance about the potential assassin.”
“I’m not suicidal, but I’ve got a plan for how to handle him, too. We’re going to be waiting for him, so all I need is backup. I just did a big job with a bunch of help, so it’s not going to stand out to anyone as unusual.”
“I see.” Samuel managed something close to a smile. “Most of the regional Torches are on assignment. I was attempting to accommodate you before your trip to Last Remnant. I’m concerned about pulling them away from their jobs. This is an important matter, but we can’t leave other incidents unattended.”
Lyssa shrugged. “I get that. What about Theodora? She wants to help me. Do you trust her enough to bring her in on this?”
“I trust her enough that I’m willing to inform her this job involves a rogue,” Samuel replied. “She doesn’t need to know the rest.”
“Easy then. See if she can pull Aisha. If not her, then somebody else from her region, but preferably Aisha.”
Samuel’s smile ebbed. “This is a matter for an Eclipse.”
“Get one of them, too, then.”
“It’ll be difficult without a specific target,” Samuel said. “That’s one challenging aspect of their deployment. I don’t think you understand how unstable the Society can be without certain guardrails.”
Lyssa cut the air with her hand. “Whoever is behind this tried to kill four Sorcerers, and if you think this involves Jofi, the Tribunal already knows the likely motive. They shouldn’t have to be persuaded of the importance of sending an Eclipse.”
“But we’d not be able to let Miss Khatri or the Eclipse know the reason you’re being targeted,” Samuel replied.
Lyssa sighed. “Damn. The point was for me to risk myself, not other people. I don’t want to do this just to save my ass. Can’t we let Aisha and the Eclipse know the truth?”
Samuel scowled. “Most certainly not. I won’t suggest they be ordered to do this, and I’ll highlight the extreme danger, but they can’t know the particulars. At this point, however, I’m ready to order you to go forward with the plan.”
“It was my plan to begin with.” Lyssa snickered.
“If we get the necessary support, it will happen.” Samuel gave a firm nod. “I’ll drive you back home now. I’d suggest you keep a low profile until I can bring in additional people to help you, but I suppose your home is the safest place for the moment. That said, I’ll continue having people keep an eye on it.”
“Oh, great,” Lyssa said. “In other words, blowing my house up is still on the table.”
Chapter Six
After three days camping at home twenty-four seven in her regalia and sleeping with Jofi, Lyssa received a message from Samuel to show up at the same park and exact parking spot they’d spoken at before with her regalia concealed. There was no mention of leaving Jofi at home.
She was ready to find the rogue and take them out. Lying to Jofi was something she did every day, but it was harder now that the latest case pointed to him being the real target. Stressing that someone was targeting her and leaving out key details was stalling him, but not being human didn’t mean he was an idiot.
While she’d told him the high-level
truth that multiple Illuminated were being targeted, including her, she’d left out the reason. Oddly enough, he’d not pressed, making her wonder if he suspected the truth on some level.
There wasn’t anything she could do about the situation other than take out whoever was targeting her. That would require whatever help Samuel had been able to scrape together on short notice.
Lyssa pulled her Ducati into the parking lot. It was pitch-black, all the lights on the poles conspicuously off. Her regalia was disguised as street clothes, and she didn’t have her mask on, so she took a moment to concentrate on a vision spell to allow her to look around instead of relying on the bike’s lights.
Sorcery radiated from the empty parking spot that was her target. Lyssa parked her bike about twenty yards away before walking to it, unsure of what was going on. She wasn’t worried about an ambush given Samuel’s specificity about the location, but she couldn’t tamp down her annoyance at him for not making anything else clear. A little detail could go a long way toward fighting paranoia.
Lyssa slowed her pace as she moved closer. She was now just two spots over.
When she stepped into the adjacent parking spot, Samuel and Aisha appeared, with a small bright ball of light floating above them. Both wore their undisguised regalia. A man stood next to them in a hood and dark clothes that covered every inch of his body except for his forearms. He carried a small hatchet tucked into a sheath on one side and a long, curved knife in another sheath on the other.
“No sound will leave this area,” Samuel said, sounding proud of himself. “You may speak freely.”
“I’m surprised,” Lyssa replied. “I thought you’d want to meet in the Traveling Club if not at my house.”
“Reducing risk for this plan means reducing exposure to Sorcerers who can’t be trusted.” Samuel motioned to Aisha. “You already know Miss Khatri.”
“What’s with picking the same location?” Lyssa looked around. There was no visual indication they were in a spell. The rest of the park remained visible.