Shadow Magic (Dragon Born Alexandria Book 4)

by Ella Summers

  “Magic-ending weapon project?” Naomi bit her lip. “That sounds bad.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it,” Alex assured her. “Taking out their Zurich base, where they are developing the weapon, will serve as the final, killing blow to the Convictionites’ organization. We’ll fly out to Europe, take them out, then be back here in time for the wedding.”

  “Don’t you think that you’re cutting this a bit tight?” said Naomi.

  “It will be fine,” Alex replied with a dismissive flick of her hand.

  Naomi turned her gaze on Sera.

  “Why are you looking at me?”

  “Because you’re the responsible sister,” Naomi told her.

  “I take issue with that statement,” Alex and Sera spoke in unison.

  “So.” Marek plopped down next to Tony, his metal-studded leather pants clicking against the wooden bench. “I’m in.”

  “So are we,” Tony declared for the commandos.

  “This was supposed to be a small, two-man operation,” Logan said. “Alex and I are stealthier alone.”

  Dal snickered. “The Black Plague is anything but stealthy.”

  “I will be this time. I’ve been practicing,” she told him.

  “Sera and I are in too, Slayer,” Kai said to Logan.

  Sera flashed Kai a wide grin. “How did you know I’d be up for an enemy infiltration?”

  “Because you’re always ready for some good, fun infiltration.”

  The commandos snorted. Alex wiggled her eyebrows. Marek whistled.

  Sera rolled her eyes. “If this mission is going to succeed, you all need to get your minds out of the gutter and concentrate.”

  “Indeed,” Logan said sharply, and they all quickly endeavored to behave themselves.

  They spent the rest of the afternoon planning the attack. Logan hadn’t wanted to involve anyone else, but their plan was a far more solid one with the benefit of more people in it.

  In the end, they decided that Marek and the commandos would pose as recruits for the Convictionites. Nowadays, the Convictionites were desperate for volunteers. That was their way in.

  The building was protected. The Convictionites’ high-tech defenses made it pretty much impenetrable to physical attacks. And their anti-magic field meant they couldn’t blast their way in with magic either. But Marek and the commandos could take down the base’s power from the inside.

  In the meantime, Alex and Logan would get into position on the roof. And Sera and Kai would stand by on the ground. The moment the power—and therefore the high-tech defense system—went down, both teams would move in. Alex and Logan would take out the anti-magic generator on the roof. Sera and Kai would enter through an underground passage to take out the anti-magic generator in the building’s basement. Then, they’d unite to find the magic-annihilating weapon the Convictionites were developing.

  “Hopefully, Team Magic’s ability to use our magic, coupled with the building’s power outage, will make the Convictionites disorganized, confused, and, ultimately, easy to take out,” Alex finished.

  “Team Magic?” Tony asked, his lower lip quivering with amusement.

  “I thought the different sides needed names.”

  “So what are we calling the Convictionites?” Dal asked.

  “How about Team Evil?” Sera suggested.

  Callum nodded. “I like it.”

  Marek leaned over to glance at the notes Logan had made during the meeting. “Do we have any idea of what kind of ‘magic-ending’ weapon the Convictionites are building?”

  “No,” said Logan. “I looked, but there’s no mention of it anywhere. No specs. No contracts with external companies. No mails. Nothing. They are building the weapon in complete isolation. Nearly no one has left that building in weeks. The only people allowed in are the recruiting teams and their new recruits.”

  “The Convictionites must be paranoid that someone will hack them.” Kai’s gaze slid over to Logan. “Or capture and interrogate their people.”

  “Yes,” he agreed. “I have hacked and interrogated them in the past. Extensively.”

  Sera looked up from the building blueprints. “So how did you get these plans?”

  “With difficulty,” Logan declared.

  And very likely a lot of bloodshed, Alex thought.

  “So when do we leave?” Tony asked.

  “So eager to impersonate a magic-hating Convictionite recruit?” Sera teased him.

  He snorted. “No, I just need to offload some assignments and investigations onto others while we’re away. Actually…” He turned to Logan and Alex. “You two are part of one of those investigations.”

  “I didn’t do it.” The words just flew out of Alex’s mouth, and then she topped them off with a smirk.

  Logan’s words were slow, relaxed. “If I had done it, you wouldn’t be able to track it back to me.”

  “You’re not suspects,” Tony told them. “You’re witnesses.”

  “Oh?” Alex propped up her elbows on the table and balanced her chin on her hands. “Do tell.”

  “Twelve days ago, on August the fourth, you two were present in Drachenburg Industries’ San Francisco level-four cafeteria at twenty-two minutes past twelve.”

  “Yeah,” Alex said, amused by his precision. She reached into her sandwich bag and pulled out a smaller paper bag, which smelled like cookies. “So what happened then? Did someone get food poisoning or something?”

  “That is the exact day and time that Lauren Valentine stormed into the cafeteria and very loudly, very publicly accused her husband of adultery,” Logan told her.

  “Yes,” Tony said. “Before she was fired—”

  “Wait. Stop right there,” Alex cut in. “You had her fired because her husband cheated on her?” She turned an accusing eye on Kai.

  He folded his hands together. “I had her fired because when she came to suspect her husband of being unfaithful, she hired a private investigation to spy on him—while he was at the office. To get the PI inside the building, she provided him with her company badge.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “It gets better,” Tony said. “It turns out the PI is actually a private contractor for Hyperion Frost.”

  “Who?”

  “The head of the Frost family.” Kai’s knuckles cracked. “Their company runs experiments in magical matters—everything from potions, to creatures, to weaponry.”

  “That sounds a lot like what Drachenburg Industries does,” Alex observed.

  “Yes.” It was Kai’s jaw that cracked this time. “They are one of our competitors.”

  “So, you think this PI was snooping around more than just Lance Valentine’s office while he was in the building?” Alex asked.

  “We’re still trying to determine that,” Tony replied. “We need to figure out if he managed to steal any items or information from the building. Additionally, we’ve launched an investigation on Lauren Valentine.”

  “You think she knew what the spy was?”

  “Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Is she a spy—or just an unwitting accomplice?” Tony pulled out a notebook and pen. “She claims she had no clue the man she hired to investigate her husband works for Hyperion Frost.”

  “Do you believe her?” Alex took a bite of her chocolate-chip cookie.

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “When she stormed into the cafeteria, she seemed pretty genuinely pissed off at her husband.” Alex looked at Logan.

  “Her anger was genuine,” he agreed. “But that doesn’t mean she’s innocent of espionage. Do you want me to talk to her?”

  “No, that’s all right,” Tony said quickly, looking up from the notes he’d been jotting down in his notebook. “We need to do this by-the-books if we want to bring the matter before the Magic Council. Frost has many allies.”

  “Or I could just talk to Hyperion Frost,” Logan offered.

  Kai was very still, but magic swirled in his eyes. He looked like he was tempted by Loga
n’s offer. Really tempted.

  But then his shoulders relaxed, and he said, “We’ll do it Tony’s way. For now.”

  “All right. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” Logan’s brows lifted. “And my rates.”

  For months, Sera had been trying to convince Alex to come work with her at Drachenburg Industries full-time. Alex was tempted. She did love working with her sister. But she also loved working with Logan.

  And Logan really liked being his own boss and having complete control over what he did. On his end, Kai really liked telling people what to do. Logan took occasional contract work from Drachenburg Industries, but he would never be happy to be one of Kai’s employees.

  Decisions, decisions, Nova, Alex’s dragon side, said inside her mind.

  You’ve been quiet today, Alex commented.

  I’ve been sleeping. Logan’s anti-magic barrier makes me drowsy.

  Me too.

  So, what are you going to do? Nova asked her. Are you going to work with Sera? Or with Logan?

  I was going to wait and see if we survived the Convictionites’ magic-ending weapon, and then make my decision.

  Good plan.

  I thought so.

  Some people might have called Alex crazy for talking to the voice in her head, but Nova wasn’t just a voice. Alex was Dragon Born, which meant she had a split persona, a mage side and a dragon side. Most of the time, her dragon side did not take corporeal form. She remained inside Alex, talking to her, guiding her, boosting her magic. But sometimes, when the situation arose, Nova burst forth from her—in a fiery display of light and magic—and fought beside her.

  “If Lauren is guilty, what are you going to do to her?” Alex asked.

  “We’re going to set an example,” Kai declared. “But it isn’t Lauren who should be worried.” He pounded his fist into his open palm. “It’s Hyperion Frost.”

  4

  A Leap of Faith

  On paper, the leap onto the Convictionite base’s roof seemed difficult. In practice, it felt impossible—especially now, as Alex stood on the wrong side of a neighboring building’s balcony, the cold metal rails chilling her hands, an evening breeze whispering against her cheeks.

  Standing here, staring across the emptiness between the buildings, imagining the long fall to the ground that awaited her if she couldn’t make the jump…well, the long, grueling hours she’d spent on the obstacle course back home now felt terribly inadequate.

  Alex drew in a long, deep breath, allowing the humid air to fill her lungs.

  Just one final moment.

  One moment won’t change how far you have to jump, Nova pointed out.

  I’m steeling myself for the jump, replied Alex.

  Since when has the fearless, reckless Paranormal Vigilante, aka the Black Plague, ever needed to steel herself for anything? You don’t wait. You rush right in.

  I’ve been feeling very mortal lately, Alex admitted.

  Might that have something to do with the rather ostentatious ring on your finger?

  Actually, Alex wasn’t wearing her engagement ring right now. It was, as Nova had said, very large and tended to get in the way when Alex did things like infiltrating an enemy stronghold. But she knew what her dragon meant. Getting engaged, settling down…it signaled the start of a new chapter in her life. A responsible chapter. And a new, responsible Alex.

  Nova’s laughter echoed in her mind.

  I can be responsible. Just you wait and see, she told her cheeky dragon.

  And then, just like that, she jumped.

  But it wasn’t an act of recklessness. It was an act of faith. Logan stood there on the Convictionite rooftop, beckoning her forward. Because he knew she could make the jump. That’s the thing Alex realized as she hit the rooftop and rolled. Logan never would have asked her to do any of this if he weren’t sure she would make it. He loved her more than he hated the Convictionites—and he wouldn’t sacrifice her to take them down.

  As Alex rolled up to her feet, Logan met her eyes, as though to ask, Everything all right?

  She nodded. Yes, everything was all right. Better than all right, in fact. Because they were about to put an end to the Convictionites—to their anti-magic crusade, to their campaign of hate, to their murders and machinations.

  This was the end.

  Alex and Logan darted across the rooftop terrace, their shoes silent against the thick, industrial-sized concrete tiles. They parted paths, coming to either side of the big white door that led inside the building, and waited.

  Time dragged on, dragging Alex down with it. That was the effect of the anti-magic field. It was blocking her magic, smothering it, draining it. Draining it? That was new. The Convictionites must have upgraded their anti-magic toy. Now it not only blocked magic; it drained it. Alex felt just like she had in hell, like her magic was wounded, bleeding, dripping away with every passing second. Her palms were slick with sweat, her ears pounding with the thump of her own beating heart.

  A sharp click cut through the drumming of her pulse. Alex blinked, and all the lights in the building flickered out. There was a second click, louder and closer than the first, that of the powered door lock going out. A few moments later, Logan had the door open, and they proceeded into the belly of the beast. This place, it was the Convictionites’ last stand, their final fingertips clinging to the ledge of their cause. One tiny push was all it would take to send their evil empire tumbling into oblivion.

  Alex followed Logan down the hallway, trying to mimic his silent, speedy stride. Stealth wasn’t her forte—nor was it her preferred method—but it was kind of necessary here. They had to make it to the anti-magic generator and turn it off before Convictionite soldiers found them. The enemy could be lurking around every corner. Actually, Alex was surprised the enemy hadn’t made an appearance yet. Especially after the power had gone off.

  A flicker of movement at the periphery drew Alex’s attention, and she spun around. But it wasn’t the Convictionites, or anyone else for that matter. A tapestry rippled against the wall it was attached to, brought to life by the breeze that trickled in through the open window opposite it.

  Alex brushed her fingertips across the woven fabric, where ‘good’ knights in bright, shining armor battled ‘evil’ supernaturals. The ‘good’ was slaying the ‘evil’ in all sorts of grotesque ways. The scene couldn’t have been more vile if blood had been dripping from the tapestry. As it was, the fabric buzzed, a soft and hellish lullaby humming from every fabric, as if the tapestry knew exactly how abhorrent it truly was.

  Logan waved her over, and she left the creepy tapestry behind. That tapestry…basically, it was the Convictionites’ manifesto. On it, they had proudly presented everything that was so wrong with the organization. All their hatred and hypocrisy, their obsession, their belligerence. They had proclaimed themselves the champions of humanity, but they had abandoned their humanity long ago.

  Logan stood before a closed door. Alex walked up behind him just as he finished picking the lock, and they went inside the room. The anti-magic field was more intense here. It felt less like a gentle tickle and more like a boulder was crushing Alex into the ground. The sensation intensified, growing heavier, harder, with every step she took across the room. There was something that looked an awful lot like a hot water boiler.

  Logan was already in front of it. He used one of his knives to pry open a panel, then stepped aside for Alex to do her thing. Unlike other kinds of magic, her Magic Breaker ability, the power to unravel spells, always worked, even in the presence of anti-magic fields. One quick, forceful punch of her Magic Breaker, and the Convictionites’ toy stuttered, then went dead.

  Alex felt the effects immediately. The heavy weight was lifted from her magic. Slowly, her other powers returned. They were still slightly muffled, like they’d been wrapped up in a pillowcase.

  A moment later, she felt the full power of her magic return.

  “Sera and Kai must have taken out the other anti-magic
generator.” Alex turned to face Logan. “Time to find them. And to end this.”

  They ran quickly from the room, backtracking down the long hallway. The tapestry was rippling faster now—like a sail in the wind—so fast that Alex thought it might be ripped from the wall.

  “There’s no wind.” She lifted her hand in the air, holding it in front of the open window.

  “Alex, step away from the tapestry.” Logan’s voice was slow and steady.

  So, slow and steady too, Alex moved away from the tapestry, keeping her eyes trained on it. An eerie, greenish glow surrounded it now. It dripped bad mojo like a leaking oil tank and reeked like a pile of old, rotting fish. There was a flash of magic, and then one of the knights jumped out of the tapestry.

  Alex drew her sword. “It seems that turning off the anti-magic field woke up more than just my magic.”

  5

  The Villain’s Toolbox

  Logan threw a knife at the knight. It landed in his neck, right between his armor and helmet. As the knight’s body hit the ground, he dissolved in a puff of green smoke.

  Logan bent down to recover his knife from the floor. “The Convictionites were expecting us.”

  “Don’t be paranoid,” Alex told him as a second knight jumped out of the tapestry.

  “Caution is not the same thing as paranoia.”

  The knight swung his sword at Alex.

  She ducked. “You’re too slow,” she told the agent of evil. “And your sword is too big.” She knocked his weapon to the ground. “And that’s an assessment that comes from someone who loves big swords.”

  She flicked the tip of her sword at his armor fasteners, knocking off the plates piece by piece, like plucking the feathers from a chicken. The plates dissolved in the same green smoke as the first knight—and so did the second knight when she thrust her sword through him.

  “I much prefer fighting fictional enemies,” Alex said. “It’s so much less messy.”