Federal Agents of Magic Boxed Set

by T. R. Cameron

  Diana peered more closely at the display. The moving dots tended to cluster in the same areas and specifically around a group of downtown locations that sold alcohol. The stores were labeled to make sure they didn’t miss the point. “It looks like they’re casing the places.”

  “That was Alfred’s opinion as well.”

  Anik nudged Tony and whispered loud enough for the room to hear. “I think Kayleigh’s in love with a computer program.” Laughter sounded in response.

  With a toss of her blonde hair, the tech replied primly, “We’re very happy together. Also, screw you. Jealousy is unbecoming.” A smattering of taunts followed, and Anik raised his arms in defeat to more general mirth.

  Rath chirped, “Timetable?”

  Kayleigh gave him a grin. “Finally, an intelligent comment.” Diana thought about it for a moment and decided she’d actually been insulted. She didn’t have time to make an issue out of it before the other woman continued. “We’ve picked up some chatter here and there—disconnected stuff, but Alfred is sure there’s something big in the works for next week. Bigger than liquor stores, anyway. Our best guess is that it’ll happen sometime in the near future.”

  Sloan nodded. “The thing with Sarah’s gang fits that timetable. We’re working and rehearsing general plans, but not with the kind of intensity you’d expect if it was planned for tomorrow. Whatever it is.”

  Diana frowned. “No indication at all?”

  The undercover operative scowled. “None, other than it’s out of town. This whole situation is pissing me off. They are the tightest-lipped group ever, and my talent only picks up fear of the woman on the rare occasions I get something from someone. She has them really spooked. To be fair, she has me spooked as well.”

  She understood that perfectly. “Crazy eyes.”

  He slapped the table. “Yes, exactly—the craziest.”

  Kayleigh’s comment was tentative. “I don’t know too much about the whole World in Between, but every time I hear about it, I am reminded that I never want to be there even for a second. It’s not a shock that she returned different, I suppose.”

  Diana banished the memory of tentacles from her mind and changed the subject. “Okay, so, stupid pirate man.” Rath giggled on her shoulder. “What’s the timeframe?”

  “Alfred says that based on the increasing frequency, maybe tonight. Although the weather looks bad for it, so more likely tomorrow night.”

  “Excellent. New hat for the troll.”

  Laughter followed, and Diana smothered her grin. “Okay, let’s get down to it, then. How can we do better than last time?”

  Sloan sighed. “That’s my exit cue.” He held his phone up to show the text message. “Her evil majesty summons us.” He departed with a wave, and the others congregated closer around the display table and the map of the stores.

  Kayleigh gestured and percentages popped up over the three locations. Unfortunately, the highest was forty, and the other two were even at thirty. “Alfred doesn’t see a particular reason for any of them to be first. They make a rough triangle, so there’s no clear progression from one to the next.”

  Diana nodded. “And, of course, we assume they’ll do it the same way as before and strike in sequence rather than simultaneously.”

  Cara sounded annoyed. “They’re idiots. The post-theft rave scene proves that. They’ll keep doing what they’ve been doing. One after the other.”

  Tony shrugged. “Surveillance on all of them with us somewhere in the middle, ready to roll.”

  The second in command looked at their boss. “It sure would be nice if we had some kind of moving base…I don’t know, like a mobile armory or something.”

  She rewarded the comment with a scowl. “No, no, and no is the answer I receive every time I ask. I’ll keep asking, and you keep hoping, but in the meantime, quit the damn whining, woman.”

  The woman pouted theatrically. “Fine. SUVs it is. They are way less cool, though.”

  Three new locations pulsed, and Kayleigh explained, “Alfred says these are the optimal locations for the vehicles to provide the quickest response and best reinforcement.”

  Tony waved at the map. “There’s another option, of course.” The others turned toward him. “Drones at all the stores.”

  Kayleigh interrupted him and held a palm up at Cara. “No one had better be about to suggest armed drones. Even with stun weapons. There are rules, and we will follow them.”

  The former detective hid his smile under the hand that smoothed his mustache. “What I was about to say was we could let them do their thing at the first place, then meet them at the second. That would give us the element of surprise and either arrive at the same time as they do or even ahead of them if we’re lucky.”

  Anik frowned. “So we sacrifice that first shop?”

  Tony nodded. “They haven’t hurt people, and we can make sure the fire department is ready to roll. It’s only property damage, and while that sucks, it probably sucks less than giving up our tactical advantage.”

  Diana thought about the various options and saw them play out in her mind’s eye. “I think that might be worth it. I don’t like being reactive if there’s a way not to be. We need to consider our own well-being from time to time, too.” She recalled Nylotte advising her exactly that, only in different words. “Is there an argument against simply staging at one and waiting for them there?”

  Kayleigh shrugged. “It’s always possible that they won’t rob the location we choose or that we won’t see them coming if it’s the first.”

  Cara laughed. “You have all the surveillance in the world. How would we not see them coming?”

  “That’s a good point. But things happen, sometimes. Illusions, system failures, EMPs. These are rare but possible.” She gestured again and the location at the northernmost end of the triangle lit up. “This is the place with the best odds.” The tech spread her hands apart, and the image zoomed in. It was one of the seedier streets in the town with a bar on one side and an abandoned apartment building on the other. It had no entrances or exits other than the front as it butted up against structures on all sides. The metal plates on the sidewalk near the door indicated the lift that led to the underground storage.

  Diana clapped her hands decisively. “That’s it, that’s the one. We’ll go with the odds and post there tomorrow night unless we hear something different. Kayleigh, keep your eyes on them and send out the alert if we get any sign they’ll move tonight.”

  The tech nodded, and Cara began to speak. Diana cut her off. “Shut it. Yes, I know a mobile armory would be perfect for this. You’re like a skipping record. Armory, armory, armory.” She threw up her arms in mock frustration. “Honestly, go make yourself useful, people. Get some bounties. Hit the range. But quit annoying me, will ya?”

  Rath’s small hands gripped her ear to move into proper position. He whispered, “Armory. Pew pew.” She groaned, and he cackled. Everyone’s against me.

  Chapter Twelve

  After the planning meeting about the pirate—I will so get that hat—Diana had banished them all to their own tasks for the day. For Rath, that meant foot patrol with Max. The magical train took him almost all the way back to their new house to pick up his partner. They decided to stay in the neighborhood but near the edge where it met the other university.

  He’d been surprised to find there was a second school nearby, and even more shocked at how close they were. When he mentioned it to Diana, she’d laughed and explained that there were actually several more near where they lived, and one downtown, a few blocks from their HQ building. Point Park University shared a name with the big green space that filled the area between the rivers as they came together a short distance away from the base. Nearest to their home was Carnegie Mellon, which was apparently named after two very rich people from a time long past.

  Exactly like the other one, businesses and restaurants were everywhere. The buildings were fancier than in the streets next to where Professor Cha
rlotte Stanley worked, but none were as eye-catching as the tall cathedral. There was more green space, and with the warm day, more people made use of the expansive lawns. Max dashed and wove between them and he and the small troll who rode with a hand securely gripping the dog’s collar generated laughs from the students.

  While they roamed more or less at random, Rath kept his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary or any areas they hadn’t yet explored. He saw one and gave the Borzoi a pat to move him in that direction. It was farther down than they’d been so far, almost at the border between the two schools’ territories. A strange-looking old house had apparently been turned into an antique store if the sign in front was any indication. They stood before it and studied the odd building. From the high peak of the sharply angled roof to the ornate wooden banisters that bounded the porches on the ground level and the floor above, it seemed somehow ominous and otherworldly. Dark grey and black paint covered the sides, and the front door was elegant wood and stained glass.

  It was also open and only a screen door in front of it separated the interior from the outside. Rath shrugged and prodded Max forward. The dog gave a soft growl, and the troll poked him again with a scowl. When they made it onto the porch, he flipped off the dog’s back and grew to his three-foot size in order to clear the way. They stepped into another time.

  A long wooden staircase began a few feet inside and led to the second floor. The banister widened from top to bottom and ended in a large horizontal spiral. Beside the stairs on the right was a hallway that led deeper into the building. Rath walked forward slowly and scrutinized the stamped brown tin ceiling, something he’d only before seen in pictures. Light fixtures shaped like candelabras hung from it at equal intervals. The duo turned right and passed through a narrow entrance into the space beyond.

  It was an ornate sitting room with a desk in the far corner that held an ancient cash register. A pair of large wingback leather chairs near the front window shared a small round end table between them. The nearest was unoccupied. In the other, however, was a man he’d seen before. They hadn’t formally met, though. He’s one of the new Griffins. Rath knew the group of older witches and wizards didn’t actually consider themselves representatives of that august organization, but that’s how he thought of them. And it fits. His first sight of the person had been with Professor Charlotte and the other members of her team.

  The man clearly recognized him, and his silver-bearded face broke out into a wide grin. “Young troll, it is good to finally see you rather than simply hear about you!” He stood and revealed that he wore a light navy robe, unfastened, with arcane symbols embroidered in bright white down the lapels. Underneath, his pants and shirt were both black, and the panels on his wingtips matched the figures above the only break in the pattern. He strode forward and held a hand out. “Emanuel Kensington. Call me Manny.”

  He shook it with a firm grip and nodded. “Rath.” He looked around the room. “Your house?”

  Manny laughed and his dark eyes twinkled. “No, my business, actually. I live a few blocks away. It makes for an easy commute, which is important when you’re as ancient as I am.”

  You don’t move like someone old. Rath noticed the slight weight in each of his sleeves and judged the man had a wand or some other kind of weapon hidden in them. He approved wholeheartedly. Right now, his collapsed batons and utility belt rode in the saddlebags Max wore. He and Kayleigh had tried to figure out how to safely include grenades but decided it wasn’t worth the burden or the potential risk. “Seem young. What is this place?”

  Manny spread his arms wide. “This is my shop, where lost and abandoned things wash up to be delivered to new owners.” He walked over to a china cabinet and opened it to remove an ornate goblet. “It looks real, right?” The troll nodded. “It’s actually a movie prop from when they shot The Last Witch Hunter in town. I have quite a selection from that film.”

  Rath scowled. “Not a fan. Pitch Black. Riddick. Better.”

  The elder wizard laughed. “Fair enough. And I can’t argue. I love the silver eyes.” The troll nodded agreement. “There are a couple more rooms like this down here, but you might be more interested in the one upstairs. Would you care to see it?” Without waiting for an answer, the man brushed past him and led the way up the creaking staircase.

  The troll looked at Max, who had stood in the room’s entrance the entire time. “Think it’s okay?” He barked once, and he took that as an affirmative. He jumped onto the banister and ran up it to reach the second floor immediately after his host with the dog a few steps behind. There was an open door ahead that led to a bathroom and a hallway that turned toward the front of the house and held two doors on the left. One was closed, and as he passed it, Manny said, “Storage. Here.” The next was open, and Rath followed him inside. A tingle of magic skittered over his skin as he crossed the threshold, and he turned to see what it was. Nothing was visible.

  The wizard had slid his arms into the opposite sleeves as if to discourage himself from touching anything in the room. Or making sure weapons are at his fingertips. He sounded more serious than he had before and nodded toward the doorway. “It’s an arcane item that vibrates when it senses magic. I wear a bracelet that is attuned to it, so I know when active powers pass through.” He pulled one hand out and held his wrist up to show a chunky band that looked like ivory around it. “You are not technically actively magical, even though you clearly are.” He smiled, and Rath’s worries fled.

  Manny turned toward the far side of the room, momentarily silhouetted in the windows and the door that faced onto the second-floor balcony. There was a trio of display cases there, each heavy wood and metal with thick sheets of something transparent that probably wasn’t glass on the inclined top. Rath jumped on a nearby chair for a better look. The man gestured into the container closest to the window. “Wands that have wound up with me in one fashion or another.”

  The troll hopped onto the case itself and looked down. Red velvety fabric held more than a dozen slender rods crafted of different woods and in a variety of shapes. “Where from?”

  He shrugged. “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. I seem to have a gift for finding things that are lost or hidden. They have come to me in any number of ways.” Rath frowned, and the man seemed to read it as doubt. “Truly. I have a knack, I guess you could say. I walk down the street, and I have a feeling. When I follow it, I generally find something interesting.”

  Rath considered that. “Useful against bad guys.”

  “At times.” He gestured at the next case. “Speaking of which, here are some random weapons I’ve found.” The troll did a flip over to it, landed in perfect balance, and drew an appreciative laugh. Inside were knives, an object that looked like brass knuckles, a tiny club, and a set of wide silver rings. He pointed at them. “Jewelry?”

  The man chuckled. “You have a good eye, my friend. Those are eight pieces of a ten-piece collection, I believe. I lack the left pinky and the right thumb.” He raised his hands to demonstrate and waggled the fingers in question. “From the outside, they look normal. The inner part is covered completely with etched symbols in a language none of us have identified. They’re the only things in the case not for sale. I need to complete the set. It’s my main goal before I shuffle off into whatever existence lies beyond this one.” The troll looked sharply at him, and Manny shook his head. “No, I’m not in particular danger of dying imminently, at least no more than anyone else. I’ve merely been at it a long time. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the missing parts don’t want to be found.”

  “Is possible?”

  He shrugged. “Magic items tend to have a mind of their own, as it were. Even the ones that don’t actually have a mind.” He wandered over to the last case and stared into it with a sigh. “This piece is also not for sale.” Rath vaulted over again and looked down, but saw nothing. The man whispered an incantation and a large bracelet shaped like a lizard appeared, designed so its tail would sit at a person’s
wrist and the head would rest high on their forearm. “It’s a Rhazdon artifact. And, yes, before you say anything, I’m aware that I shouldn’t have it. No one should. But as with the Griffins before, it’s my responsibility to keep it out of the wrong hands. So it sits here, hidden and unable to cause trouble. Although I do hear it whisper to me every time I come up here. It makes terrible promises.”

  Rath jumped down. “Keep safe. Keep away.”

  The man nodded and cast the spell to obscure the object again. A clamor erupted downstairs as the front door slammed and a woman’s voice yelled, “Emmanuel, get your butt down here.” They both broke into matching grins and hurried down to where Professor Charlotte, who looked cross in her skirt and sweater combo, stood with her arms folded. Max had arrived first and leaned against her leg to regard her with fond eyes.

  She gave a thin smile when she saw the troll and absently stroked the Borzoi’s head. “Rath, it’s good to see you again. It’s perhaps even fortuitous timing.” She turned her gaze onto the man. “Silas texted us all a while ago. You didn’t respond, so I came to check on you since I was already nearby.”

  Manny clapped a hand to his forehead. “I’m an idiot. I don’t actually have my phone with me, now that I think of it.”

  Charlotte released a long sigh. “You’re getting old fast, my friend. First your phone, next your wand, and finally, your clothes or something. Then, they’ll lock you up.” She gave Rath a quick smile to let him know she was kidding. “In any case, he’s heard the same message we all have, and from even more people. All signs point to a significant event happening soon.”

  Rath nodded. “Pirate Prince. On it.”

  She shook her head. “No. Something big. There’s a buzz. Something on a scale we’ve never seen is on the way, and we have zero idea what it is.”