by TR Cameron
She snarled at him. “Screwing with me is one thing, but a woman’s car is sacred.”
He laughed and spread his giant hands. “It’s been fun playing with you, Agent Sheen, but now, it’s time to end this. Once you’re broken, I’ll kill your dog. Then, maybe, everyone in the building you were so happy to visit. Only after they are all gone will I listen to your pleas for death.”
Rage burned like lava as it erupted from deep in her core to emerge in a furious scream.
Rath scampered onto the dog’s nose and gave the command. “Max. Launch.” Doing it while the dog was running was a new challenge, but his acrobatics training served him well.
As he hurtled toward his target, Diana’s scream washed through him like a physical thing and a red haze spread across his vision. A ripple surged through his body, starting at his toes and shooting upward, and the world changed. Things grew smaller, distances shorter, and the mage he hurtled toward seemed less threatening.
The troll, now three feet tall rather than the five inches he had been when Max threw him, carried his momentum into a vicious kick at the mage. The swat of magic that would have deflected his smaller form failed entirely to affect his flight. “Nice.”
The force of his impact hurled the shocked man backward against the alley wall. The wizard dropped to one knee as Rath backflipped to land several feet away. He stretched his arms and admired the ropey muscles that covered them before he bared his teeth in a fierce grin. “Thank you, stupid man. Rath bigger. Rath better.”
He closed on his quarry as the wizard staggered to his feet.
The rage became a living, gnawing, tearing thing, and either the scream or the expression on her face clearly alarmed her opponent. His right hand seemed to glow as it swung in a vicious hook toward her temple, and events slipped into slow motion again. Diana could sense where the fist would land and had ample time to consider and discard potential responses. She eliminated those that would cause further damage to her car, despite the eminent satisfaction that pounding his head into the metal would bring.
Instead, she used her left arm to guide the punch past her face, secured his wrist with her right hand, and yanked the arm straight. She bent her left arm and hammered it into his elbow to generate a satisfying crack as the joint snapped. He bellowed, and she stamped her heel into the side of his knee. His leg buckled and as he fell, a kick to the head thrust him to his knees, dazed. He seemed to immediately shake it off, so she kicked him again, and he collapsed with a low moan. She bound him quickly at ankle and wrist with zip ties, then thought better of it and doubled them. We’ll need bigger zip ties. With her attacker now secured, she searched her surroundings for Max and Rath. They were nowhere to be seen, and she had almost erupted into a full-blown panic when she heard the scream from across the road.
The wizard fired a series of fire blasts from his wand but Rath dodged them easily. It was almost a game given how bad his aim was. Or maybe the troll was simply faster in this form. Either way, the battle lacked challenge. He closed with a quick shuffle step and pounded a punch to center mass. For the troll, however, center mass was about the height of his opponent’s groin. His adversary screamed and crumpled, and his wand tumbled away, forgotten in his agony.
Rath shook his head in pity at his downed foe. He knelt and looked in the man’s watery eyes. “Weak. You should train more.”
Stupid wizard.
The ripple shuddered through him again and he turned as Diana entered the alley. Shrinking back to his normal size was much less exciting than growing had been, but perhaps he had enjoyed enough excitement for one night.
She bent to the man who panted as tears seeped from his eyes. “Who are you?”
“You’re dead, human.”
She slapped him, raising his head off the ground hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to put him out. “I asked you a question, asshole. Who are you? And while we’re at it, who sent you?”
Drisnan spat at her. “Kill me if you must, but cease your nattering, woman.”
Both Rath and Max growled behind her, and the wizard’s eyes widened. She laughed. “Yeah, you’re real tough when attacking women, animals, and tiny trolls from a distance. But up close, you’re simply another coward.” She trussed him like his buddy and stood. “Let’s go, you two.”
She retrieved her belongings, let Max into the backseat, and restrained him securely with his safety harness. Rath’s canister went into its spot in her cupholder, and she climbed in after one last sad look at the dent in her car. Her first call was to ARES to retrieve the trash she’d left behind. She made sure, after a quick glance at the bound giant on the ground, to specify a large vehicle. Her second was to her repair shop. She wouldn’t let the Stingray suffer any longer than necessary.
The response team was fast and arrived before Rath and Max grew bored and started to cause trouble. Finally, the necessary tasks complete, she pulled into the street and headed for home. “So, Rath, do you care to explain what went on back there?”
The troll gave her a toothy grin. “Fighting mode.”
Diana shook her head with a laugh. If there was a note of hysteria in it resulting from all that Rath’s potential for chaos portended, she was sure that neither the dog nor the troll would notice it.
Well, fairly sure, anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kergar raised the shot glass to his lips and drank the clear liquid in one burning swallow. He coughed and refilled it from the bottle on his desk. They had opened the rum to share a drink before his lieutenants had left a few hours before to handle the trivial matter of disposing of the woman.
He drank again and refilled once more.
Now, the bottle was half-empty, and he delayed no longer. The dwarf stood and crossed to the warded door, threw the mundane locks, and sent a small pulse of magic to activate the runes carved into the lintel. He returned to his seat and shook his head to clear it, reached down to the bottom drawer of his desk, and muttered an incantation to deactivate its defenses.
Kergar retrieved a sculpture with a wooden base and arms of pure gold that spiraled up to support a purple power crystal. He set it carefully on the surface of the desk, then withdrew the coin from the hidden pocket inside his shirt and raised it to the light to admire the quality of its craftsmanship. The identity of its creator was a mystery. All he knew was that his superior had provided it as a means to travel, to communicate, and as a token of membership. None of his own underlings had one. The coins were reserved for those with responsibility.
And eventually, power. But first, I have to play the game a little longer.
He whispered a series of words in a language never known on Earth and long forgotten on Oriceran. A mist emanated from the coin and rose slowly over the crystal. The vapor gained solidity and brilliance as it caressed the gem’s facets. After several moments, it coalesced into the robed form of his superior. He wore an eager expression and spoke before Kergar had a chance to.
“What news?”
He sighed. “Failure, master. Another unexpected wrinkle.” He had argued with himself over how closely to stick to the truth but realized he had no way to know whether his superior had been watching. “Your criticisms proved true, again. We underestimated her. Again.”
Nehlan’s face contorted in fury. His voice was level and controlled, but it was clear that his lack of aggression required significant effort to maintain. “Did I not warn you?”
“You warned me, yes, master.” He nodded. “And I warned those beneath me. The strategy was sound based on our observations, but our expectations proved to be optimistic.”
The elf frowned. “Explain.”
Kergar spread his hands. “The dog is more fearsome than we expected.”
His master interrupted him with a cackle.
Shit. He sounds insane.
“The dog? You are telling me you failed because of a dog?”
He rushed to interrupt. “Not only the dog, master. A troll. A very violent trol
l.”
The fury diminished visibly as thoughtfulness intruded into Nehlan’s expression. “Interesting. And potentially a vulnerability. Good to know. Was it full-size?”
He desperately wanted to say yes. He was reasonably certain, now, that his master had not seen the battle. But the little voice inside—the one that prized survival above all else—cautioned against it. He sighed. “Not full size, no. But very effective.” He had watched the battle in real time through a scrying orb and had seen the punch that brought Drisnan down. It had hurt him simply to see it. It was fortunate that Sheen had intervened before the troll could release his full rage on the mage.
His master shook his head. He looked and sounded exasperated. “Did she kill them?”
“No. They are on their way to the human prison.”
Nehlan nodded decisively. “Kergar, I will give you a very simple task. This is your last opportunity. You have failed me twice, but our long history together earns you one final chance to redeem yourself. You will ensure that your people do not make it to that place. Rescue them if possible. Kill them if necessary. We cannot allow the humans to interrogate them.”
The dwarf nodded, relieved. The fear that had squeezed his chest receded.
His master switched topics and expressions simultaneously and seemed to put the matter behind him.
I am not fooled. I know you neither forget nor forgive. Perhaps our reckoning will need to come sooner rather than later.
“Are the plans finalized for the party?”
He leaned forward, finally able to share some good news. “Yes, master. Identities have been secured, and we have confirmation that all shall be as we expect it to be.”
Nehlan gave him a thin smile. “Given recent failures, perhaps you should run through it once for me.”
He swallowed hard. “The Oriceran Ambassador to the United Nations is to arrive for the party at seven in the evening, an hour after the dinner portion of the event begins. Drinks are at five-thirty, and our inside people will be in place at least an hour before.”
“You have sufficient covers?”
He nodded. “We have secured positions at the hotel during the last month. Some collateral damage was required to create opportunities.”
The elf waved his hand. “Continue.”
“As I said, the ambassador arrives at seven. He will enter through the front door and immediately move to the stage to begin his speech. The vice president arrives at seven-thirty, along with an increased security presence. This gives us a window of thirty minutes in which to act. We plan to strike immediately after he begins his speech when everyone has settled in and believes they are safe.”
His master nodded, seemingly content with the arrangement. “And your exit route?”
“Once we have the ambassador, we have our choice of three exits. Cars in the street are our fallback, and a departure from the roof is our first backup. If all goes well, we will go out through the kitchens and through the basement tunnel that connects to the company’s other property a block away. Of course, this assumes that they have blocked our ability to create a portal.”
Nehlan grunted. “The humans have shown this ability before. We must expect them to use it. You’ve ensured that the tunnel is passable?”
“We have.” He nodded confidently. “It is a relic of a time gone by when the wealthy owners needed a way from one place to the other without appearing in public. The tunnel was well constructed then and holds up now. It will be a little beneath the ambassador’s station, of course.” He risked a chuckle.
His master’s frown indicated he wasn’t at all impressed. “Just so we’re clear, remind me what happens if the ambassador dies.”
Kergar swallowed the painful lump that appeared in his throat. “I die.”
“And?”
“All my people die.”
The elf smiled coldly. “Where the humans are concerned, kill whom you must but no more. Once they know their place, they will be useful partners.” His emphasis on the word left no doubt that it would not be an equal partnership. Kergar was also fully aware that Nehlan couldn’t care less about the people of Earth but was appropriately worried about limiting the exposure of the Remembrance. A mass killing would draw far too many eyes to them.
He nodded to acknowledge the instruction, then sighed and asked the question that prudence required. “What of Agent Sheen and her organization?”
His master laughed. “I think we can expect a show of force from them at this event, don’t you?”
“Certainly so. What if it’s a trap?”
The elf shrugged. “Sometimes, the only way to deal with a trap is to spring it and turn it back upon itself. Perhaps you should consider ways to accomplish that.”
There was one more question he didn’t want to ask. He seriously considered ending the conversation but sighed again and gave in to the necessity. “Will you join us, my lord?”
His master didn’t reply and simply sat in silence, his expression thoughtful. When the one-minute mark passed, he inched his hand toward the device to verify that it was still working. Finally, the elf sighed. “No, I will not. I will, instead, trust you to not fail me again. It is imperative that the ambassador be unavailable for a time.”
The dwarf wasn’t sure what the ultimate plans for the ambassador were, but after seeing the mentally dominated humans at his master’s home, he thought he might have an inkling. He nodded. “Very well, master. I believe that we are prepared for this and that you will have good news in short order.”
Nehlan’s gaze bored into his lackey’s. “Do not fail, Kergar. Better you should die in the attempt than come back to me with anything other than success. There are worse fates than the gentle slide into death, and I will ensure you experience every one of them should you fail.”
Kergar stuttered “Yes, master.” The image faded in an instant. He had restored the coin to his pocket and locked the warded drawer against all intrusions, both mundane and magical, before he gathered the courage to speak. “Asshole.”
He pushed himself up on shaky arms and took several deep breaths before he left the room. An upward gesture armed his wards and another downward tripped the locks. He clutched the bottle and shot glass in one hand and made his way unsteadily to the bar. It was filled with the usual crew, the seats reserved for Cresnan and Drisnan conspicuously empty.
The bartender wandered over. “What’s up, boss?”
He emptied his glass in a single swallow and refilled it. Enthan looked hazy, and he smiled at the wavering wizard. “It appears we can’t afford any more setbacks, or many lives are forfeit.”
He nodded his understanding. “What can we do?”
“I need you to send our most skilled operatives out on a shopping spree. Find rich homes, steal expensive things, and turn them into human currency. Use it to buy the best mercenaries available.”
“The ones we hired before were the best available.”
Kergar shook his head and pointed a swaying finger at the bartender. “No, they were the best not currently contracted. Enough money can convince someone better to break their agreement and join us. Put the word out quietly and see who we can find. Worst case, we go back to the tried-and-true.”
Enthan grinned. “Kidnapping and extortion?”
“Everyone has someone or something they love. It’s only a matter of finding their pressure point.”
He nodded and emptied his glass, then abandoned the empty bottle on the bar. “See that the burglaries start tonight. We need our soldiers within two days. Two days after that, we make a bold move that puts us in a good position with those above. And, maybe, those above them.”
And, if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll have the chance to kill Sheen where her dog and troll can’t protect her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Diana set her bag carefully in the backseat of the SUV and secured it with a seatbelt. She looked inside to make sure Rath was okay and he gave her a thumbs-up. She slipped into the passenger
seat and buckled in. Bryant stared at her with an annoying grin on his face.
“Shut up. Drive.”
He laughed and pulled out into traffic.
She blew out a breath. “Thanks for the ride.”
He nodded, then could no longer resist. “You did it with your head, didn’t you? And it was a huge dent, wasn’t it? So vicious the car won’t even run anymore, right?”
She slapped him on the chest with the back of her hand. “Jerk. No.”
He chuckled one more time before he sobered. “We didn’t anticipate an attack on any single one of us. Maybe we should have, but then again, it’s a bold move.”
“Bolder than trying to detonate a Starbucks?”
“You do have a point.”
She swiveled in her seat to face him. “Is everything set with my requests?”
Bryant switched lanes and glided smoothly into a left turn. “We have eyes on your parents and Lisa, plus their homes and yours. Your FBI mentor helped us out with that one.”
Her relief at the news allowed her stomach to unclench for the first time since the attack. “Good. Thank you.”
“It’s no more than you deserve.” He shrugged. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring the dog, though.”
Diana rolled her eyes. “Max is perfectly happy at the shelter daycare, especially since he got to ride in with Doug. Plus, Rath likes visiting the other dogs. Don’t you Rath?”
A small voice from the backseat said, “Yes. Partners. Must train.”
Bryant looked quizzically at her.
She shook her head. “So, what’s the deal with the party?”
“Our analysts say that it’s too good an opportunity for them to pass up. A chance to strike at the Oriceran ambassador and the Vice President in one spot? It has to be on their radar.”