by T. S. Snow
"You're telling me that we came all the way out here, staving off potential threats and you don't even have your magic?" Blair rubbed at her forehead as if I'd given her a migraine.
I couldn't blame her, I tended to have that effect on people.
"Well. It's not like it's my fault any of this happened in the first place. And I did tell you to stay at the safe house. Where it would be, you know, safe."
"Girl, if you think anywhere would ever be safe for me if something happened to you, you don't know your Loverboy nearly as much as you think you do. Or Christian."
I winced. She has you there, Charisma.
"So, uh. Anyway. Would you be okay with staying out here while I go do what I gotta do? I promise I'll be fast. Crazy quick. Basically the Flash. You won't even notice I'm gone."
I wasn't sure if Blair was amused or if she wanted to throttle me. The face she was making was confusing the hell out of me. It was even more bizarre when you took into account the bushy eyebrows and too young features. Maybe she was starting to feel the effects of smoke inhalation?
"Just. Do your thing. And be fast, Charisma. We only have about twenty-five minutes now."
Shit. We'd already wasted too much time.
"Well, alright then. I'll be back in a jiff."
I turned my back on her and opened the door without giving myself time to second guess anything else. I felt the wards prickle against my skin almost uncomfortably, which was a new development, but they let me pass when I crossed the threshold.
Thank fuck.
A quick scan of the room had me mentally cursing. The wards might have protected the office from the fire, but it hadn't been without casualties. Probably from the shockwave, since I very much doubted that much damage could've been done to the apartment itself without the whole ground shaking, and I hadn't thought to ward the damn floor.
Some of the computer screens had tipped over, there was one cracked on the floor. My chair was across the room, and I didn't even want to look too closely at the contents of the shelves across from me, near the door that would lead to the training room. If I looked too closely at the damage, I might just break down and cry.
"Hurry up, Char," Blair whisper-yelled from the door where she was standing, unable to cross that invisible line. Her words were all the spurring I needed, and I wasted no time dragging the chair toward the computer so I could get down to work.
Thank fuck one of the bigger screens had survived, because it would make my work so much easier that way.
I powered up the small, portable generator I had hiding under my desk, hooked up my computer on it, powered up my laptop which thankfully still had a full battery—I wasn't entirely sure my generator would've been able to juice up both the laptop and the computer—and got to work.
I had little more than twenty minutes to make this work, and I had to make every single second count.
There was no plan B, no backup chance.
This was it, time for the truth.
19
Andres
The minute I'd gotten the text from Blair asking for my help, I'd known shit might be bigger than I might be ready to handle, but when your only sister called in a favor, you had better answer it.
Which was why I was parked across the street from a building that should, by all means, have been condemned by now, prepared to create an illusion that would cover up for her and whoever else she was with, when I should've been on a date.
One would think that would mean Blair would've at least given me a little warning or told me about the plan, but oh no. All she said in her text was that she needed my help and that I'd know the signal when I saw it.
My sister was crazy. But, considering Blair never asked for help if she could avoid it, I'd been more than a little curious.
I watched from my car as people passed by the building, able to tell those who lived in the area from the tourists just by who did a double-take when the collapsed disaster came into view. As much as the sight was shocking, a quick google search of the address had told me the building had been this way for two weeks, with local human police having reported it as being the consequence of a gas leak followed by an explosion.
But that hadn’t been the most shocking news I’d come across. Oh, no.
Apparently, Charisma Carter—aka Onyx—had been the owner of the apartment where the explosion had happened, and she’d been reported dead.
I had serious trouble believing it, especially when I’d had coffee with her just a few days before it happened. I’d seen her, flirted with her. She’d agreed to go on a date with me and everything. I’d also hired her. Now…
Now she was dead and I’d never gotten a chance to truly get to know her, to understand how her mind worked, how she worked. I’d never gotten a chance to get a taste of her.
Such a waste.
She’d been so bright, so smart, so talented. Charisma had taken the Arcane world in its stride and shaken the foundations of our society not only because she’d been an heir without the magical strength needed, but because she’d proved to everyone that she didn’t need the heir status to succeed in life.
Now she’d never accomplish anything else. She’d never move further. All the great things people expected of her… wasted.
However, if Blair was here right now, if she was asking me to cover for her, then something way more suspicious was going on. The gas leak was probably a cover-up for something. But for what?
I also struggled to believe that something this simple had killed the extraordinary Onyx. It was too easy, too predictable.
With the kind of ingenuity Onyx had, she should’ve had fail-safes for… everything. And a fire? I mean, really? Wasn’t that Charisma’s top element? Her activation circle was orange, for fuck’s sake.
It just didn't add up.
And if she had truly died, then… No, I refused to think about it. Something was up; I might not know what it was yet, but I’d find out. And once I did, well, people were going to have a hell lot of explaining to do.
I saw two teenage boys walking up to the building and smirked when they got close enough that I could get a good look at them. Motherfucker.
One of the damn teenagers was a spitting image of me, or, at least, of how I used to look about ten years ago.
Who the hell had she conscripted into her crazy new plan and why did she have to remind me of just how awkward a teenager I’d been?
Fucking Blair and her warped sense of humor. I was so going to get her back for this shit, as soon as we got out of here.
But for now, I had a job to do.
I focused on the illusion I wanted to spin, on the teenagers not entering the building and, instead, continuing their path on the street and entering a building a few streets down, and rolled the ring on my finger so I could activate it. When it came to illusions, my MET worked more as a focal point, a way to not waste so much energy while also keeping the ruse for longer without me needing to focus on it the entire time rather than the actual tool that would form the spell.
Nobody would be able to see the teenagers actually entering the closed-off building except for me, and the minute they were inside, I held the illusion just a little longer to make sure the fake versions made it to where they needed to be, away from prying eyes. Then I released the power on it.
Now I had to do a fucking stakeout like some kind of human cop in one of those silly TV shows some of the girls I dated were so addicted to that focused more on the romance than actual investigations.
Come to think of it, maybe Blair had done me a favor in sabotaging my date with Lily. It would, after all, be date number three, and as a rule, I never did more than three dates. Didn't want them getting any ideas, after all. I had too much love and appreciation for all women to risk shackling myself to just one.
Love was wonderful but temporary.
And like a good perfume, it was better when used in small doses.
I people-watched from the safety of my car, enjoying the cont
rasts of the passerby’s, while I held the illusion that would make my car seem empty. After all, I didn't want to attract any undue attention.
I almost didn't see the trio that rushed into the building until it was too late. Thank fuck they weren't even trying to play the part of tourists or else I'd have missed them. One of the guys was wearing a business suit, while the other guy and the woman both wore jeans and normal shirts. If that disparity wasn't enough to set off my spidey senses, then the sword the jeans-clad guy was carrying in broad daylight would've tipped me off.
Battle Mages. And they were on a mission.
Fuck.
What was Blair up to this time around?
As quickly as humanly possible, I fished my phone out of my jeans and called Blair, hoping like hell she had her phone on vibrate. I'd have texted her, but I didn't want to risk her not seeing it.
Two rings in, and she picked up. I didn't bother wasting time on pleasantries.
"Blair, three Battle Mages are on their way up to you, I think. They just entered the building," I barked.
Blair cursed. "Okay, well. Shit. Listen, are you still out front? We may need a getaway driver," she said.
"Yeah. I'm right outside. Hurry the fuck up."
"Kay. Thanks." Then she yelled really loudly. "Charisma, we gotta go, we've been made!"
The line disconnected before I could say anything, but I very much doubted I'd have been able to form any words.
Had she… Did she just say Charisma?
No, it couldn’t be.
Charisma was dead, wasn’t she?
Except, even I had suspected she would be too stubborn to die, or even to get caught in a stupid accident.
But if she was alive, why was she here?
Of all the stupid decisions and all the crazy plans.
What the hell were Blair and Charisma up to? And since when had they become friends?
I’d fucking get to the bottom of this the minute they left that damn condemned building, hopefully alive.
Concern for both of them filled me up. The need to storm the building and go after them, maybe help them make a run for it started to take over. Instead, I started the engine of the car, dropped the illusion, and prepared to drive us all off.
I might not be sure of what on earth was going on, but I'd be damned if I'd let anyone hurt my sister and her friend.
20
Charisma
"Charisma, we gotta go, we've been made!" Blair yelled from her perch in the living room and all the blood rushed from my body.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
This was bad. So, so bad.
How had they found us? Who were they? Friend or foe?
I stared at my laptop where the transfer was at ninety-five percent and mentally begged it to go faster.
"We can't! It's not done yet! I need five more minutes!" I yelled back at her, while I started picking up the rest of the stuff I'd need.
"In five more minutes, we might be dead."
Blair was right, shit. She was so right.
I needed to find something, anything that would allow me to buy us a little more time.
I jumped off the chair and started to pick up the stuff I'd need to take with me, throwing everything into a backpack I'd found hidden under a pile of junk I should probably get rid of next time I came here.
Technically, I knew I'd be safe inside this room for as long as my wards held, but I wasn't willing to let Blair face off against however many people might be coming our way, especially when it was my fault she was even here in the first place.
Think, Charisma, think.
I was in a room full of tech I'd developed, from possible METs to other, less complex things. There had to be something here I could use to cause a distraction, something that would buy us just a little more time. Something like...
"Hurry up, Char! We're outnumbered and outpowered!" Blair hissed through the door.
"Wait! I have an idea!" I ran across the room and looked through the fallen pieces of hardware, trying to find the one piece I needed. My eyes passed over the Katana and I almost ignored that, too, except something inside of me was telling me I might need it.
Well, I might not be able to use it as a MET, but I could always do with a pointy, sharp thing if worse came to worst.
I'd just grabbed it when the red plastic-looking ball I'd been looking for caught my eye and I grabbed it too.
Perfect.
This should work.
Hopefully.
I ran back to the computer. Ninety-Nine percent.
We might just be able to make it, after all.
My heart sped up more than a damn rapper during the chorus of a song.
"Blair! Do you have any elemental spells programmed on your MET?" I asked loudly, noticing the goddamned transfer had finally concluded and closing the laptop without bothering to turn it off. No time to waste. At least, no more than I'd already wasted.
"Yes, but I don't think a little burst of wind will be able to stop them, girl. I do have a couple of minor explosions I could set off that would distract them, maybe. I'd risk another illusion, but I'm running out of juice fast, especially since we had to stand so far apart."
Shit.
I stuffed the laptop into the backpack, put it on my back and grabbed the Katana and the red plastic ball.
"Okay, I'm ready. Here's what we're gonna do," I huffed as I left the protection of my wards and joined Blair in the furthest point of the living room.
"What we're gonna do is run like our asses are on fire, girl."
Blair stopped talking when we heard voices coming from the entrance and both our heads whipped in that direction.
"Shit. Is there another way out? A backdoor or something?" Blair asked.
"Too far away, we won't make it." I thrust the red plastic ball in her hands. Blair looked down at it and then up at me as if I were completely crazy.
"What, you want me to throw a Pokeball at them? This is supposed to do what, exactly, capture them? They're not fucking Pokemons! Give me that Katana, I can do a hell of a lot more damage with a sword."
I snorted. I knew it was terrible timing, but really. Such little faith.
I was going to forgive her just because she was new to how amazing I was when it came to magical technology.
"Do what I'm going to tell you and I'll give you this fucking Katana as a present. Hell, I'll program the MET so you'll have the most badass weapon. But first, we gotta get out of here."
Blair took all of two seconds to consider me and nodded.
Thank the Goddess.
"Okay, so, I want you to throw this at them the minute they cross that threshold, and when it gets near them, I need you to hit the ball with a small burst of fire. There's gunpowder inside, which will release a blast of ice and wind magic. It's actually a prototype for an anti-fire thing I've been working on, but the powder should work on the Mages too and freeze them for up to a minute, which is all the time we need to make a mad run for it. Throw. Shoot. Run. Don't stop until we're out."
Just as I finished explaining, the first person reached the threshold.
"This better fucking work, girl," Blair said as she threw the ball right at the guy's head.
I unsheathed the Katana—just in case—and prepared to run.
Before the ball hit the suit guy's forehead, a small activation circle appeared right beneath the ball, and a small spark manifested.
That was all it took.
With the sound of an air balloon popping, the little Pokeball exploded and the white, freezing magic powder hit the guy right in the face, as well as another one who had just reached him. They froze like statues, unable to move or to even blink, but the tiny powder particles attached to them sparkled like ice.
Score!
"Yes! C'mon, let's go!" I grabbed Blair, who stared wide-eyed at the intruders, and we made a run for it.
When we reached the duo, instead of just running past them as I'd planned, Blair snatched the Katana from me and
was about to use it when I yelled.
“Don’t! Leave them alive.”
Blair gave me a look that said I’d lost my damn mind. “I wasn’t going to kill them, I was just going to knock them out.”
Oh.
My bad.
She gave me my Katana back and guilt churned into the pit of my stomach. I’d been an asshole to her, just because she looked badass didn’t mean she was a cold-hearted killer.
“I’m sorry, I just—”
“Forget it,” Blair cut me off before I could try to apologize properly. “Let’s go.”
We kept running past them, towards the front door that would lead to the hall, being careful as all hell not to fall in the huge hole in the middle of what used to be my living room.
We'd just reached the hall when Blair yelled.
"Duck."
So I ducked.
Thank fuck, too, because not even three seconds later a damn sphere of black matter whizzed over my head and hit the wall ahead of me.
With wide, panicked eyes I looked behind me and saw a dark-headed woman in a bright red shirt coming out of my bedroom.
Oh fuck.
We didn't get all of them!
"Shit, shit, shit, fuck, shit," I cursed as I ran, because multitasking.
Blair pressed a couple of keys on her MET and a small burst of wind manifested from her activation circle right in front of the woman behind us before she could throw another spell at us.
"Do you have any more of your ice Pokeball thingy?" Blair asked, just before she pushed me towards the stairs so we could dodge yet another orb of black matter.
"Nope, that was my only prototype. But hey, at least now we know it works!"
"You're telling me you put our lives at risk on something you weren't sure would work?"
When she put it that way...
"Well, I'd tested it on actual fire. Just never on people. But the odds were there," I replied, shrugging.
It wasn't like we'd had a lot of time for me to come up with a better plan.
Suddenly, a yellow activation circle appeared on the stairs we'd reached, and the steps became distorted, longer.