Diana lurched forward to finish him but was distracted by a yelp from the right as Anik catapulted toward the back of the platform from a blow by another wizard. She used her telekinesis to slow him and created a sloped force barrier that drained the rest of his momentum as he slid up it. He dropped painfully to the surface, her control imperfect, but at least he hadn’t fallen off. She turned to deal with his attacker in time to see Tony and Cara both fire at center mass. The caster stumbled over the edge and the speed of the train sucked him under the wheels. She winced at the thought of what would inevitably happen to that particular body.
Incoming tentacles appeared in her peripheral vision and she spun to roll out of the way. The witch used the opportunity to scamper into the doorway of the car ahead. Her writhing appendages scooped her leader up and pulled him in after her. The remaining Kilomea thrust into Diana’s path as she moved to pursue. She pounded him with a force punch that knocked him aside, but he’d achieved his purpose.
Even as she raced forward to catch the woman, she saw the triumphant smile on her face as an ornate crate floated into a portal behind her. Diana yelled as she hurled a ball of force at the witch’s head, and her adversary half-turned and frowned. Her shadow appendages twitched as she used the leader as a shield to intercept the orb. The missile struck his torso with a loud crack and dragged a gasping scream from him.
“Get us out of here!” he shouted,
Rath whipped past her and latched onto the man’s foot. He swelled to full size and hauled with all his strength to prevent their enemies from escaping. For a moment, the witch seemed undecided, then she gave Diana a brilliant smile and ripped the wizard from Rath’s powerful grasp. She hurled the man outward before she entered fully into the rift. The portal collapsed as Diana dodged the human missile, and she spun in readiness. He had landed on the platform and her teammates had already moved to secure him. She twisted back to stare at where her enemy had been and growled in frustration.
That’s twice you people have gotten away. There won’t be a third time.
Chapter Thirty
Kayleigh flicked a switch and a suit of armor appeared above the display table and rotated slowly in their AR glasses. The tech had been busy in the days following the incident on the train. And, judging by the constant flow of messages she’d sent Diana about the inadequacies of virtually every branch of government and the military, the woman was livid.
“After the army finally admitted what was taken—which required so many phone calls that I’m absolutely certain I set a new freaking world record—I approached the Oriceran Consulate for information. They weren’t all that forthcoming, but Bryant was able to intervene, thanks to his daring rescue of the ambassador.”
Diana’s voice was incredulous. “His rescue? Rath and I almost died, and he says it was…” She trailed off as she noticed the vicious grin on her friend’s face and snorted. “Oh, good one. I’ll get you back for that.” The others laughed, even those who only knew Bryant by reputation.
“Anyway, this gear is called Rhazdon’s Defense. It wasn’t used by the leader but rather created from several artifacts by a number of mages with more skills than wisdom.”
“Wait,” Cara interjected. “Are you telling me this is one giant artifact?”
Kayleigh shook her head. “It’s a collection of separate artifacts, as I understand it, that they’ve managed to convince to work together. While it’s always been something of a fundamental truth that artifacts aren’t willing to share a host, this is somehow different. Maybe because it’s worn rather than embedded or whatever.”
Diana groaned. “This stuff keeps getting worse. Do we know its powers?”
The tech shrugged. “Until now, it’s essentially been treated as a myth. The army didn’t know what they had, and it took the consulate a while to identify it too. They probably had to phone home for a historian or something.”
Tony frowned. “They can call the other world on a phone?”
Cara turned to him and shook her head in disappointment. “Honestly, Tony, have you seen any movies at all? Ever?
He grinned. “Tomb Raider. I’m a fan of Angelina Jolie.”
“Well, can’t fault you there, but Wanted is more my speed.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s it! Your callsign is Croft.”
She rolled her eyes, but Anik nodded. “Yes, that fits. Definitely Croft.”
Tony turned to him. “You’re Khan, for sure.”
“Hyper-intelligent perfect man? Of course.”
The detective looked at Kayleigh thoughtfully. “You have like five times the fashion sense of Cara or Diana, and you have those awesome boots, so… Glitz? It’s techie.”
She scowled and Diana rescued him. “Glam. Much more Kayleigh’s style.” The tech thought about it for a second, then nodded.
Tony continued, obviously on a roll. “You’ll be Boss, naturally, boss.”
“That works. And I dub thee Stark for that ridiculous mustache and your general troublemaking attitude.”
The detective laughed and nodded. “Fair enough.” Finally, he turned to Sloan. “You’re Face, of course.”
Sloan nodded. He had been uncharacteristically subdued since he’d missed the attack on the train. Diana had chatted to him about it to be sure that he knew no one bore a grudge. Nonetheless, it still clearly bothered him to have been absent when the team could have used his skills, despite the fact that he’d used them for the team’s benefit at the time.
Emotions and logic rarely travel together.
“How about Bryant?”
Diana waved her hand dismissively. “BC.”
“Chucklehead,” Cara countered.
“Doubleboss,” Tony suggested.
Diana glared at him, and he shrugged helplessly. “What? You have to admit it fits.”
Anik and Sloan were silent. Finally, a smile dawned on the tech’s face. “Well, we have a Face. So, how about Hannibal?”
The whole team laughed.
“Howling Mad Murdock might be more appropriate,” Diana said once they had settled.
The investigator shook his head. “One word only.”
“Fine. Be that way. Hannibal it is.”
Kayleigh grinned. “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Diana clapped her hands. “Okay, we’ve been beaten twice by these assholes. Sure, they didn’t get everything they wanted and we captured their leader, which are at least semi-wins. But they feel like losses.” The others nodded their agreement. “It’s time to find a way to eliminate them once and for all. Let’s get to it.”
Chapter Thirty-One
The day devoted to intense planning and strategic analysis had mentally drained everyone involved. Tony and Cara agreed that light competition at the shooting range would be exactly the thing to wake them up before dinner. She'd driven them there in one of the ARES SUVs, and they spent an hour practicing with revolvers, pistols, and carbines. He was still more proficient with the smaller weapons, but he had a long way to go before he could challenge her with a rifle.
They both felt considerably better about life as they strolled to the parking lot afterward. The sun was setting, and the dim illumination of the streetlights high above slowly began to kick in. The weather was perfect for the light-black denim coat she wore, one of her favorites that also hid her shoulder holster effectively. “You’re really good with small weapons. I wonder why that is,” she teased.
Tony laughed and smoothed his mustache. “Finesse. Precision. You know, things you wouldn’t understand. But it’s okay. You can learn.”
She shook her head with a smile. “You keep telling yourself that. A man who walks around in an untucked dress shirt has no right to claim finesse and is leagues away from style.”
He shot her an offended glare and looked at his outfit. “There’s no need to insult the clothes. That’s past the line.” He demonstrated the line and her going past it with a small set of gestures.
Cara barked a l
augh. “Okay, where do you want to go to dinner?”
A fireball preempted his answer. She had briefly seen a reflection of the nondescript van that glided to a halt, which had been a subtle warning. The rasp as the door slid open had focused her attention, and the image of the trio of mages that scrambled out and raised their wands had precipitated a hasty dive to the side as she yelled, “Cover!”
Triple blasts of fire struck the SUV and hurtled it up and away. The vehicle tumbled in ungainly free-flight into a car farther down in the parking lot. It settled and the flames immediately spread.
She picked herself up and drew her Ruger but was forced to dodge a cone of flame. The mage shifted his aim and forced her to run to evade the continuous attack. She took a wild shot that accomplished nothing and angled her path in an attempt to move closer to them. A second cone appeared ahead of her, and the two swung toward her from opposite sides. She looked for a way out but found none in either direction as the missiles converged, so simply did what soldiers did best. She focused on the objective and turned toward the van to make her final shots count.
Tony ran forward with a noticeable limp and a pistol in each hand. He alternated shots, which forced the mages to abandon their attacks and summon shields, and the cones immediately faded with no power to sustain them. Their adversaries blocked the normal bullets from his automatic but failed against the anti-magic rounds in his second pistol. When his first round didn't drop the mage he'd targeted, the detective shifted his aim to kill him with a single headshot, then dispatched the second in the same way. The last man flung himself into the van and slammed the door behind him. The tires screeched as the vehicle fled. Unfortunately, Tony failed to hit the tires before it accelerated out of range.
Cara holstered her weapon and thrust out both hands with her fingers spread and palms down. Flaming darts erupted and rocketed at an angle toward the base of the vehicle. She managed definite strikes to the front and rear tires on the passenger side, and the van slewed wildly before it flipped and rolled. When it finally settled, they sprinted to the driver’s seat. The man behind the wheel was unconscious, saved by his seatbelt. The mage hadn’t been so lucky. His broken body lay in a crumpled heap on the van’s ceiling.
She raised her watch and held her fingerprint against it for five seconds. The emergency function activated, and she said “Phalanx.” Had she not spoken, every member of the team would have stopped what they were doing and rolled to her location except for Kayleigh, who would have coordinated with local authorities to do the same. The command instead warned everyone that they needed to hunker down. The alarm had officially been sounded.
ARES Pittsburgh was under attack.
At the same moment that Cara and Tony emerged from the shooting range, Diana, Rath, and Max were curled up on the couch watching Thor: Ragnarok for the fourth or fifth time. The troll was in his tiny form, the better to mimic the movements on the screen. His chirpy voice echoed the best lines, and his delivery was flawless.
The Borzoi snored softly with his head resting lazily on his mistress’ leg. Every so often, Diana would launch a sneak attack and hurl popcorn at the troll, and he would use his gymnastic skills to avoid them. She hadn’t caught him yet but felt confident that he’d be distracted enough during the arena fight scene that a handful at once could nail him.
Her fingers sank deep into the bowl in preparation for that wicked intended assault a moment before the voices on the screen stretched into a slow, crawling pantomime.
Danger.
She couldn’t sense where it came from. There was no directionality this time, and for an instant, she had no idea what to do. Instinct inspired her to reach out with her telekinesis and pull the tiny troll to her. The look of surprise on his face was momentarily amusing. She stood, turned in a circle, and enclosed them in a barrier.
The defense was barely completed before the front door was launched off its hinges and into the room at the same time as the large pair of windows that looked out onto the front yard exploded inward. On the far side of the dining area beside the living room, the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard transformed into a deadly hail of shards that careened toward them with deadly speed. The barrier she’d created held against those attacks, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sustain it against the witch and wizards who crossed the thresholds they’d created into her house.
She wasn’t wearing a gun because she never did at home. The enemy’s surprise assault had caught her totally unaware, and even with Rath’s help, she couldn't defeat the five assailants who had come to kill them. She growled in anger and frustration, scooped the dog up, and bolted for the stairs. Thankfully, she was able to release the front portion of her shield and reinforce the one behind, and while the magic attacks pummeled it and drew her energy away, they didn’t penetrate.
When they reached the bedroom, Diana set Max on his paws and flung the window open while Rath grew to his three-foot size and hauled the black escape rope from under her bed. It was secured to the frame’s legs and was long enough to reach the ground, already knotted for ease of descent.
The forked lightning that seared through the open window was a near miss, but it still blistered the skin on the side of her neck and sent tingles through her body. “Shit. They planned well. Rath, any ideas?”
The troll shrugged, his expression grim. “Out the window and fight.”
She nodded and stood again to release a blast of force at the magic user on the ground. A wash of flame erupted from beside him, and she caught sight of several more casters outside. The fire alarms screeched and signaled the direness of the situation. She shook her head. “We can’t stay in and can’t go out. You know what that means.”
Rath frowned. “Bad idea. Last resort.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, little guy.” She laughed and he grinned to show he was teasing. A section of the floor buckled and creaked beneath them as its support failed. “All right, let me concentrate.”
She shut out the distractions one by one, grateful that the enemy had decided that burning them to death would be more entertaining than pursuing them up the stairs. She waved her hand in a circle, and a wavering image of Nylotte’s shop appeared. The place looked downright cheerful compared to her flaming home. She focused on creating not only a window but a tunnel to protect them from interference. As the roof groaned alarmingly, she gathered Max and Rath in her arms and plunged into the portal scant seconds before the ceiling collapsed.
A flash of panic seized her as time seemed to skip and shudder. Had they failed? Would they fall into the World in Between? Would they be monster food?
The thoughts jostled wildly until the three of them collapsed on the floor of the Drow’s shop. The woman herself stood over them, ready to attack or defend. Diana coughed out a weak, “Hi,” and rolled onto her stomach to send a signal to the others. When she saw the Phalanx alert, she started the message relay she’d already set up with a young, scruffy Willen who lived on a nearby street, paying him with the small gold hoop earrings she was wearing. He would get the word out to the others.
“Status.”
“I’m inbound to the base. However, Alfred tells me that everyone has checked in safely. Cara and Tony were the only ones attacked.”
Diana breathed a sigh of relief. “Not the only ones, unfortunately. Call the fire department and send them to my house. Hopefully, they can keep it from spreading.” She killed the connection, knowing that the systems built into the watch would show the tech where she was.
She chuckled and shook her head. This is probably the safest place I could possibly be. No one wants to find themselves on Nylotte’s bad side.
Internal Diana countered immediately.
Like she has a good side.
As usual, Diana told her to shut up, then pushed herself off the ground to bring her teacher up to date and ask her for a portal out of the kemana.
After all this nonsense, there’s no way I’m walking up those damn stairs.<
br />
Chapter Thirty-Two
At first, the attacks had left Diana shaken. The realization that their personal lives were not off limits to their enemies was something she’d known intellectually but hadn’t completely come to terms with. It was one of those thoughts that slid into her consciousness now and again but never really reached the front of the line for whatever reason. She spent a lot of time with Rath and Max in the extended-stay hotel, watching movies and generally trying to stay calm. The troll also seemed out of sorts, but honestly, who wouldn’t be?
Nylotte had suggested she’d previously been in denial and had now had her eyes opened, but the observation had lacked her normal level of mockery and bordered on the sincere. That was perhaps the most frightening thing of all. Diana wasn’t fond of the fact that she was walking around like an open wound but was grateful to her teacher, nonetheless.
After several days, shaken became angry. She marched through the base, spent hours at the shooting range, and tried to stay away from others while she worked to master it. She got into a couple of serious battles with the Drow and relished the pain she felt after them. Internal Diana pointed out that this was probably because of the guilt she refused to release, but external Diana told her to shut her damn mouth and go to hell.
Another day passed, and she finally found her equilibrium again. She gave Rath a thirty-minute warning while she showered, dressed, and dried her hair. Then, they piled into the Fastback and drove for an hour and simply took roads at random, letting the vibe of the town soak into her bones again to replace the negative thoughts that had taken up residence in her brain. They swung past the house they’d rented, which was now nothing more than ashes and charred wood. Insurance would cover the building and their things, but that wasn’t the point. She’d had roots, and the bastards had torn them out of the ground.
Federal Agents of Magic Boxed Set Page 64