The Phoenix Illusion

by Lisa Shearin

  They were in a canyon about a hundred and fifty miles east of Shiloh City. That bit of news gave Ben a much-needed shot of confidence.

  In the immediate area was an old silver mine.

  “We’ve gotten heat signatures from inside the mine,” Kenji was telling us from the media room’s screen. “A lot of them, and they’re moving around.” He gave us a big, happy, but tired grin. “That mine hasn’t been operational since the 1890s. It has to be their base. In a couple of hours, we’ll know for sure. We’re sending in commandos and battlemages to take it.” Kenji looked off to the side as someone spoke to him. “Oops, I jumped the gun. Mr. Moreau will be briefing you on that in a few minutes.”

  “How close are the buildings to the mine?” Ian asked.

  Kenji glanced down at his keyboard. “I can let you see for yourself. Here’s the enhanced satellite image.” Kenji’s face was replaced by an incredibly detailed photo.

  “Dang, those military satellites are good,” I said. “Marek and Friends made their own ghost town.”

  “Some of our tax dollars do good work,” Kenji replied. “As you can see up in the far-left corner, one of the buildings landed on its side and kind of collapsed in on itself. From the information we’ve managed to gather, that was the first building taken. Their aim got better after that. In the center of the image, you can see where the last few were lined up like they were on a street. Lucky for us, the skies were clear and sunny today, so we got really good detail.” He zoomed in on the line of buildings to show us. “I imagine if you were on the ground there, it’d look like that scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind where the missing ship showed up in the middle of the desert. Well, except buildings aren’t as out of place in a desert as a ship, but you get what I’m saying.”

  “Other than the heat signatures in the mines, have you detected any signs of life inside the buildings?” Ian asked.

  Kenji came back on the monitor. “None. That doesn’t mean there weren’t any survivors. They could be in the mines, or the buildings taken were vacant. Another indicator this is their base is that the ley line that runs down the Vegas Strip leads right to the mine’s front door.” He glanced away again. “Oh, okay. Claire wants to talk to you.” Kenji rolled his chair to the side, and Dr. Cheban rolled hers into the frame.

  “We’ve determined there would need to be a second generator and crystal in the mine to function as a beacon,” she told us. “It would be larger than the one Marek is using in his show. There’s a shaft that runs from the deepest part of the mine straight up to the surface. We think that’s where they have it. When the mine was operational, there would’ve been a lift to bring miners and supplies into the mine and back to the surface. Of course, the cabal wouldn’t be using the original lift. This way the beacon can be raised when needed and lowered to keep it from being detected. There’re also tracks for carts to bring silver ore to the lift. The cabal is probably using these to take the generator deeper into the mine when it’s not in use.”

  I grinned and nudged Ben. “Except they couldn’t hide it from our Level Ten master gem mage here.”

  Ben smiled and blushed.

  “Marek’s ‘illusion’ won’t work if the device in the mine is incapacitated,” Claire continued. “Kenji and I will be going with the team to the mine. Ian will be our contact with your team. We’ll keep you apprised of events there as they happen.”

  “Sounds good,” I told them. “Maybe after all this is over, you two can come down here. With all that math genius, I’ll bet you two would make a killin’ in the casinos.”

  Kenji leaned over into the screen, his head next to Claire’s. They exchanged guilty looks. “Yeah…about that. We’re kind of banned from the bigger casinos,” he confessed.

  Claire laughed. “We won too much on our last trip.”

  I blinked. “Last trip? We?”

  They exchanged another look, this one with absolutely no guilt whatsoever.

  “Oh honey,” I told Kenji. “We are so gonna talk when I get back.”

  He was all innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”

  Claire smiled and waved as she moved out of the frame, followed by Kenji. “Mr. Moreau wants to talk to you,” he said on his way out.

  When Alain Moreau took a seat in front of the camera, he wasn’t smiling.

  Uh-oh.

  “Bad news, sir?” Ian asked.

  “More like a confirmation of suspicions, Agent Byrne. We already had proof linking Marek Reigory to the other mages on our most-watched and wanted lists, but we now know who is in charge of them all.”

  Moreau clicked a few keys and on the screen was a photo featuring Marek and two mages from the list, Griselda Ingeborg and Gerald Blackburn. But it was the two others in the center of the photo that rolled the breakfast in my stomach.

  If “impending doom” had human form, it would be Viktor Kain and Tiamat.

  Though human wasn’t the real form of either one of them. They were dragons. Thousands-of-years-old dragons.

  “This is from a reception after Marek’s performance in Moscow late last year,” Moreau was saying. “Tiamat and Viktor were his guests of honor. Griselda and Gerald were seated in the royal box with them.”

  I was definitely feeling queasy. “Is there ginger ale in any of the fridges?” I heard myself ask anyone with working legs. Mine had gone kind of wobbly. “I could really use some.”

  Rake went to the bar fridge in the back of the room, and seconds later I heard the blessed pop fizz. It wouldn’t calm my nerves, but maybe it’d placate my stomach.

  “They all looked nice and cozy,” Ian said. “And guilty as hell.”

  I took a swig of ginger ale. “Can you say conspiracy?”

  “Can you say cabal?”

  Yep, with Viktor and Tiamat involved, we definitely had one of those. I took another swig, bigger this time.

  Tiamat, aka the Babylonian dragon goddess of chaos, aka Vivienne Sagadraco’s sister. According to the boss, Tia had always resented having to hide what she was. The problem with having a civilization worship you as a goddess was that you started believing your own PR. Tia wanted the human race to know they weren’t the top of the food chain. She had two uses for humans: slaves and food. Sounded like the Sythsaurians. Oh, we did not need for those two to meet. Tia wanted to destroy what her sister had done through SPI—keep the supernatural world secret from humans, thus protecting humans and supernaturals alike.

  In my first big case at SPI, Tia had gotten her hands on a device that rendered its wearer unseen and unheard. She also imported a pair of breeding grendels and equipped them with the devices with the intent of turning them and their hungry brood loose in Times Square on New Years’ Eve. After that, armed with the devices, her ghoul and demon allies would be capable of appearing and vanishing at will. Humans would live in constant fear, banding together, never sure when or where the next attack would come from. Life on Earth would become a living nightmare.

  Tia had gotten her claws on an even more impressive gadget this time.

  Riding with Tia on the crazy train was Viktor Kain. He was a Russian dragon, oligarch, head of an international crime syndicate, and Ms. Sagadraco’s personal nemesis. He blamed her for the death of his mate Katarina during WWII. British fighters flown by SPI agents had shot her down after she’d destroyed SPI’s London headquarters during the Blitz, killing hundreds of agents and their families who’d taken shelter in its underground buildings. Katarina had allied herself with the Nazis. They’d promised her part of England to be her hunting territory if she helped them destroy London.

  I’d been briefly connected to the mind of Viktor Kain while in contact with a nexus of ley lines and the cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs. We didn’t have proof that it had anything to do with him, but we couldn’t discount it, either. It was bad enough that some of the most powerful mages on Earth were working together against us, but to find their actions were being directed by Viktor
Kain and Tiamat? Bad just turned into the worst-case scenario, and gave a whole new and unpleasant meaning to “power couple.”

  “Are Tiamat and Viktor in Las Vegas?” I asked.

  “They have not been seen,” Moreau replied.

  We knew what that meant.

  Those two had been alive for thousands of years. They wouldn’t be seen unless or until they wanted us to see them.

  I suddenly wished one of my mysteriously acquired skills was the ability to sprout eyes in the back of my head.

  “Marek’s show begins at nine o’clock. The moon reaches its peak at ten. That will be when he makes his move. We will be in position to strike at eight.” Moreau smiled, more of a baring of fangs. “Do not be surprised if the show is suddenly canceled.”

  Ian laughed, short and harsh. “I assure you, sir, we’ll get over it.”

  “But if Marek does cancel, that doesn’t change your mission. Secure those crystals at all costs.”

  27

  Ian and Mr. Moreau talked for a little longer, as Ian gave him the final status of our plans. And yes, we had more than one. Failure was not an option. Success would depend on being able to adapt to changing circumstances. With Tiamat and Viktor running the show, we had no doubt many surprises would be pulled out of multiple hats.

  And none of them would involve cute, fluffy bunnies.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have your spear, would you, Ian?” Rake asked after Mr. Moreau had signed off.

  “I never leave home without it.”

  A single glow flared from beneath the collar of Ian’s tux jacket. It was listening.

  “Good. I have a feeling we will have need of it before this night is through.”

  Cassandra du Vien arrived just after sundown.

  The mistress of the Las Vegas vampires was not in any way what I expected.

  That made her even more awesome.

  I expected pale and slinky, rather like Morticia Addams in black sequins.

  Cassi du Vien—and yes, she insisted that we call her Cassi—was originally from New Orleans by way of Haiti. She was curvy and confident, bold and bodacious. Anyone who saw us walk into the Phoenix with her would totally believe we were her entourage; that is, if they even noticed us at all. She was wearing a form-fitting purple silk gown like the vampire queen she was. In her heels, she was nearly as tall as Rake and Tam.

  She’d brought four guards with her. We didn’t take it personally. Heck, we welcomed the help. Alain Moreau had called and told her that a goblin masquerading as a vampire was going to perpetrate one of the worst acts of terrorism in history while in her city. Thousands would disappear and possibly die, and they would do so in a way unexplainable to human technology.

  It would set off a worldwide panic.

  And depending on what Marek or his cabal cohorts did next, if they made it known it was alien technology combined with magic, every supernatural on Earth would have a price on their heads. We didn’t know what their ultimate goal was, but we knew it would have worldwide implications, and SPI would be in the crosshairs of both sides.

  Ian took care of the introductions, and Madame du Vien—excuse me, Cassi—couldn’t have been more pleased with her company this evening.

  “It’s a shame you gentlemen have to glamour,” she said, taking in the scenery. “But, from what Alain told me, it’s necessary, and the results will be more than worth it.” She frowned, and I could see the sass building. “He’s posing as a vampire, plucking that hotel and everyone in it right off the Strip, including me and my court, and then dropping the blame on my own people? I don’t think so.”

  “Can we depend on your discretion this evening?” Rake asked diplomatically.

  “Oh absolutely,” she all but purred. Her large, dark eyes twinkled. “A spider doesn’t wrap up her prey until he’s good and tangled in her web. Alain told me what you have cooking for Monsieur Keram Rei, and you have my blessing. Now that will be a show I’ll want to see.”

  “It’s critical that we succeed tonight,” Ian said. “If we don’t stop this now, the next target could be a strategic political or military target like the UN or Pentagon.”

  Cassi gave my partner a flat look. “A hotel in my city isn’t important?”

  “It wasn’t my intent to imply that, ma’am.”

  “There are more of my people within the city limits of Las Vegas than any other city in the world. They are like my children. I will protect them. For me, there is no target more strategic. Such an act committed here will bring attention to my people that they may not survive. All vampires would become suspect, both in the supernatural and mundane worlds. We would be hunted.” She paused meaningfully. “And if we are hunted, we will fight back.”

  “Nobody wants that,” I told her.

  “No, they do not.”

  *

  The deep red moon rising over the Las Vegas strip could have been breathtakingly beautiful, if it hadn’t been for the act of evil it would soon be used to power.

  Cassi and her guards took her limo to the Phoenix, with our limo right behind.

  Even though I’d never been inside the hotel before, I was more than familiar with its layout. We’d studied the floorplans and photos of every section of the hotel. Thankfully, it wasn’t that large, at least not as Vegas hotels went.

  As soon as we’d passed the front desk, we were in the casino.

  “They want to get you coming and going, don’t they?” I remarked.

  “To get anywhere in a Vegas hotel, you have to go through the casino,” Ian told me.

  “You’ve been to Vegas before?”

  My partner’s lips twitched in the slightest of smiles. “A time or two.”

  “Have you been banned from any casinos?”

  “Not any casinos.”

  I grinned. “Oh really? We need to talk, too.”

  “You can ask, but I’ll never tell. In case you haven’t heard, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

  I turned to our furriest team member. “Yasha? Do you know anything about this?”

  The werewolf stayed silent and made a cross-his-heart motion.

  Now I had to know.

  We’d already decided to break up into small groups once we arrived. We were all glamoured and needed to look around to see who else was there and gather any intelligence we could before the theater opened for seating.

  Tam and Ben would remain with Cassi and her guards. Tam would guide Ben through a subtle search of the hotel for Marek’s crystals and any hotel guests/cabal members wearing teleportation cuffs.

  Kitty had conjured a portal in our suite and was prepared to tear an escape portal here. Once we had the crystals, we were gonna need to get the heck out of Dodge fast. Yasha was Kitty’s guard, and Ian was in direct contact with Mr. Moreau, who was directing the impending commando and battlemage strike on the cabal’s base.

  Rake was with me while I looked for the glamoured among the glamorous. He was holding my hand to keep Marek or any other cabal member who might be here from sensing me. Gethen was Rake’s perma-shadow.

  We were all connected by nearly invisible earpiece comms. By being in small groups, we could use our comms to stay in touch with the rest of the team and not look like we were wandering around talking to ourselves.

  Rake and I were doing what a lot of couples were doing, strolling around the hotel and seeing who was there to see. With everyone people-watching, my interest in others didn’t stand out in the least. I saw quite a few famous people, and some merely famous for being infamous. Plenty of them were wearing designer evening wear and jewels, but no one was wearing a glamour.

  We’d determined that we couldn’t do anything to delay the show. That would just scare Marek into taking the generator and teleporting out. We actually needed him on stage with the thing. Which brought up a couple of questions. If our commandos succeeded in taking the cabal’s base and Claire and Kenji disabled the beacon, Marek’s gener
ator and crystal wouldn’t work, according to Claire. But would he still be able to teleport out of here? Did he need the beacon to get to the cabal’s base? Or could he teleport to any location?

  I was about to key my comms and ask Ian, when I saw Ben and Tam stop. I didn’t think it was obvious to anyone else, but I could tell that Ben had spotted someone.

  “Ben’s got one,” I whispered to Rake. “Let’s stroll past.”

  There were no windows in the casino. I could see how people would gamble longer if they had no sense of time.

  I sensed her before I saw her.

  A mage of the darkest variety.

  Griselda Ingeborg was at the baccarat table. Her white beaded gown was slit up to there and had a neckline that nearly plunged down far enough to meet it. Her blond hair was piled high and sparkled here and there with jeweled pins. She wore diamonds. Lots of diamonds. The men in the immediate vicinity were captivated by the ones that fell between her ample breasts.

  That was what everyone saw. My seer vision saw a black haze that shifted with her every movement, like fog. It was the aura of a mage who regularly engaged in the blackest of magic, so much so that it left a permanent imprint on her.

  Then I saw what Ben had seen. It may not have been the most intriguing in terms of bodily placement, but it was what we were looking for. Griselda was wearing a Sythsaurian cuff. Naturally, it was encrusted with diamonds, so many that the green crystal in the center was barely noticeable.

  Rake’s lips twitched at the corners. “Tam’s going in for a little reconnaissance.”

  “Poor guy,” I muttered. “Having to take one for the team.”

  “A giving man, my cousin. Always thinking of others.”

  Tam was slicing through the crowd with the ease of a wolf carving a path through a flock of sheep, his primal instinct focused on one blond sheep. People got out of his way. Tam had some seriously potent come-hither, and that he was wearing his hair loose like a sheet of midnight silk only intensified it. Heads turned, breaths quickened, and a couple of drinks were dropped. Griselda looked up and I swear I saw her pupils dilate from where we were.