by TR Cameron
She had to concentrate to do it, but she handily intercepted each, negating the force behind them and redirecting them so they couldn’t do any damage to her. His caution prevented an easy opportunity for a counterattack, but she maintained her patience. Although some criminals might escape while she fought, this one’s skills made him a danger, and thus it was essential to defeat him.
He shouted and dashed forward, then stopped suddenly to set her off balance. She turned her dodge into an attack, sliding ahead and dropping to her knees to deliver an elbow to his thigh. The protective plate kept her from doing any significant damage, but he reflexively kicked at her with the other foot as she’d guessed he would. Her palm wrapped around his heel and levered it up, flipping him onto his back. He landed hard but immediately slashed at her with a blind swing.
She caught the wrist and sliced the tendons with her claws, forcing him to drop the weapon. He howled in pain, and she twisted the damaged wrist as she climbed on top of him, then shredded his other wrist when he tried to swing at her again. He struggled beneath her but couldn’t get free. She let go of his arms and punched him in the sides, below his armored vest, her claws tearing into his flesh. He went limp from pain, blood loss, or both, and she turned to find her next opponent.
Morrigan pelted after the runner, her bow assembling itself as she ran. A pair of soldiers stepped in front of the escalator after her quarry passed to bar her way. She reached back and drew a pair of arrows, then turned her bow to horizontal and nocked and loosed them both in a single motion. The projectiles struck both men in the shoulders, knocking them aside. One fell over the railing and plummeted to the hall below, and the other crumpled to sit with his hands reflexively grabbing the arrow’s metal shaft. She skidded to a stop at the top of the moving stairs and took careful aim before loosing a force arrow at the man she chased.
It hit him in the middle of the back, and the magical burst knocked him forward, sending him tumbling down the escalator stairs. Two enemies stepped into view, fired up at her, and forced her to dodge to her left. The suppressing fire kept her from targeting him as he stumbled toward the exit with assistance from other soldiers. She grabbed another of the tech arrows that Kayleigh had provided and shot it in an arc at the entrance. It whistled through the air with a loud shriek, then clanged as it hit the ground near the fleeing man. All right, Idryll, hopefully you noticed my signal. Morrigan crawled toward a new position, away from the bullets that continued to fly overhead.
Idryll saw a man stumbling toward the exit, being half-carried by another man, and figured that Morrigan had drawn her attention to them for a reason. She dashed forward as they passed through the doors and managed to get within four feet of them before a hail of bullets forced her to dive for cover behind a police car parked nearby. With a snarl, she peered through the car’s window, watching as the man and his companion retreated between the shooters. She wanted to follow them, felt a primal urge not to let her quarry escape, but the risks to the others on the Strip were too high. Hopefully, a gem Ruby had tagged would wind up in his possession, and they could hunt and secure him at leisure. It will be more delicious that way, in any case. She bolted back into the casino, seeking targets on which to vent her frustration.
Ruby was on the defensive, her left arm tied up with the buckler of force she used to deflect the attacks from one wand while she cast counterspells to intercept the other with the right. The wizard was good, staying in motion so she had to keep moving as well, but not allowing himself to get trapped into a spot where she could use his surroundings against him. She repeatedly tried to close the distance, but he circled out and away and kept pelting her with spells.
What I wouldn’t give right now for Kaeni's magic-absorbing sword. The most irritating thing about the contest was that the wizard was smiling as if he enjoyed the battle. Part of her was willing to let the fight play out as long as her foe wanted, confident Idryll or Morrigan would eventually join. The other part was worried, afraid her partners were in danger and needed her help. Too bad we didn’t get those tech pieces for the masks from Kayleigh. Then I’d know.
Shaking her head, she refocused on the conflict at hand, determined to take the wizard out herself. She let her buckler fall, trusting in the force shield that lay outside her body to handle at least one hit, and reached out with her force magic. It took a great effort, but she ripped the remaining poker table from its moorings and threw it at the wizard. He used his wands to slice it in half and deflect the pieces as he stepped through the middle. Ruby couldn’t help but admire the smooth response, especially since the man displayed no concern at all as he invalidated her attack.
I’ll give you a cause for concern, jerkface. While he dealt with the table, she drew her sword and dagger and charged the wizard. He could no longer hold her at range, so he changed his approach as well, summoning a beam of force on the end of each wand and stepping into a proper fighting stance. She shouted, “Come on, there’s no way you’re any good with those.”
He laughed, and when he spoke his voice was full of amusement. “Society for Creative Anachronisms. I’ve been sword-fighting since I was five.”
“Well, this will be fun for both of us, then.” She slashed with her sword, and he flashed his wands up to deflect it. His approach wasn’t power against power, which made sense given her longer weapon. Instead, he deflected and evaded, continuing to stay on the move, likely hoping she’d tire herself out. She chuckled inwardly. I’ve fought Keshalla for hours. Even in your dreams, you aren’t in her league. He whipped a force blade at her face, and she leaned back to avoid it. It sizzled as it went by, and she spotted a telltale hint of orange at the tip. Holy hell. He has fire bound on the end. He is good.
The wizard outclassed her as a combat caster. She held no doubt about that. Fortunately, she had other options. Ruby stabbed the dagger forward and sent a force blast his way, and he spun to avoid it. When he came out of his spin, the dagger was already flying at his head. He looked alarmed for the first time as he whipped both force blades in front of his face to block. She grabbed for her belt, snagged one of the concealment grenades, and tossed it to the floor between them. As the smoke rose to obscure her, she cast a veil and circled away.
He fired blasts of lightning indiscriminately into the cloud, but she had already gained sufficient distance that they couldn’t reach her. He covered himself in a force shield and crouched, turning in a slow circle to find her. She considered going for her gun, but she wasn’t a good enough shot to merely wound him, and she wanted to have a chat with him. Instead, she dipped a hand to her boot and drew the enchanted throwing knife Shentia had provided.
She threw it with a practiced flick, and it sped forward to embed itself deep into his leg. He cried out and immediately launched a fireball back along its path, causing her to reflexively dive out of the way, not trusting a shield to handle it properly. She came up with her second throwing dagger ready and hurled it at him, but he was already stepping through a portal, which closed behind him before the blade arrived.
With a sigh, Ruby muttered, “Damn clever wizards.” Then she turned her attention to putting out the small fires he’d set in the room before they became big fires. Idryll and Morrigan arrived shortly after and helped her extinguish the remaining flames. Her sister said, “The bastard got away.”
Idryll added, “He had a lot of backup waiting outside. Skilled backup.”
Ruby nodded. “We’ll figure it out later. Let’s get out of here before someone finds us and starts asking questions we don’t want to answer.”
Chapter Fifteen
They all returned to her office under a veil, where Ruby changed back into her casino owner’s garb and tossed her duffel bag through the portal into her bedroom at her parents’ house. Morrigan and Idryll followed, and when the rift closed, she grabbed the cleaning wipes she’d kept behind. After ten minutes, she managed, aside from her matted hair, to make it look as if she’d been in her office the whole time. She pulle
d the blonde locks back in a ponytail, drew a deep breath, and headed out, adopting a slightly vapid and stunned expression.
She made sure to talk with every member of the casino staff she passed on her way down to the bottom level. Most of them seemed to have come through okay, except for the guards. Even they were primarily only wounded, although more than once she saw something suspiciously body-shaped on the floor, covered with a black tarp.
The uniformed folks on the scene were a mix of Ely PD and the sheriff’s office, and she hoped she’d find her quarry nearby. Again, it was the woman’s hat that caught her attention, and Ruby crossed to where Sheriff Valentina Alejo stood talking to several of the guards hired to protect the displays. Ruby stayed on the outer part of the circle while they conversed, then nodded a greeting as the security people dispersed and the older woman’s eyes fell on her. Alejo said, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find you at this one.”
Ruby shook her head. “No, given that my family owns the place, the odds were probably pretty good.”
Alejo gave a dark chuckle. “Odds. Casino. I see what you did there.” She gestured around her, almost helplessly. “What the hell, Ruby? You come back to town, and suddenly everything is going crazy.”
“Coincidence, not causation. I’m just really lucky.”
“Seems like. You’ve been involved in what, two of these now?” Another question was apparent behind the one she’d spoken. She’s suspicious. And she’s not likely to buy the stupid act.
Ruby shrugged. “Right place, wrong time, I guess. I was up in my office for this one. Afraid to come out if you want to know the truth. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that if anything was going to tempt another attack, it would be hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds.”
The sheriff nodded. “Were they insured?”
“I presume so, but you’d have to ask my parents to be sure. I have no doubt they’ll be here soon.” Her sister would let them know what had happened if no one else had done so already.
Alejo sighed and slipped the notepad she’d been using into her back pocket. “Come outside with me, where there’s a little less chaos.”
Ruby obediently followed the other woman, who led her to a marked sheriff’s car. Her escort opened the door to kill the flashing lights on the car’s roof, then closed it again and leaned against the side. The Strip was in good shape, mostly vacant except for police at work and rows of bound troublemakers sitting on the ground awaiting transport to the local jail. Ruby chuckled. “I don’t think Ely PD has a place big enough to hold this many criminals.”
Alejo nodded absently. “They’re talking about using shuttle buses. The kind that brings people in from Vegas or Reno.
“Luxurious.”
“I guess.” She swiveled her head to peer down at Ruby. “Look, I have this feeling you’re not being completely honest with me. You’re a smart woman, educated, and clearly affected by what’s going on. I presume you have contacts here that I don’t. What do you know?”
“Nothing specific. I’m aware the Council figured bringing in an outside security company would tick off the ones in town, but I’m not sure that’s relevant.” In truth, she knew it was, but she had no way to reveal that to Alejo without betraying her other activities. “What do you know?”
The sheriff shrugged and looked down the Strip, notably not making eye contact. “I know this appears to have roused every group we have intel on. Seems pretty coincidental, everyone showing up.”
She frowned. The other woman’s tone and body language revealed she was suspicious of Ruby, or at the very least unwilling to share real information with her. I’m going to have to find a way to talk with her as my alter ego. Her mind was searching for a way to end the conversation gracefully when a man and woman in black suits and ties with stark white shirts stepped up and flashed their badges. Alejo snorted. “Wonderful, a visit from the Paranormal Defense Agency. Just what this day needed. What can I do for you folks?”
The woman gave a thin smile. “You? Nothing. Your friend here needs to come with us. Ms. Achera, our boss would like a word.”
Ruby had considered arguing, especially when she discovered that it involved a road trip. Still, she’d wondered in the back of her mind when the PDA would show up again, knowing the appearance of masked fighters who used magic would be like a beacon to them, and decided now was as good a time as any to deal with the agency. She spent the drive to Reno lying in the back seat of the government sedan, drifting in and out of sleep. Aches and pains announced themselves as her body stiffened from the stresses she’d put it through, and she longed for a hot bath and a long nap.
When they finally arrived in Reno, the agents parked the car in an underground garage, and they rode an elevator up to the lobby. She passed through a metal detector and felt the pull of the built-in anti-magic emitter trying to peel away her visual humanity. Fortunately, she was able to counter it by drawing upon her pendant. The sensor probably would’ve pierced the disguise of any magical without the innate illusion skills of the Mist Elves, but she was pretty sure by the lack of reaction that she’d made it through okay. The emitters commonly used in detection equipment were on the weak end of the scale, thankfully. Hopefully, I’ll still have enough juice to pull it off on the way out.
Another elevator ride, this time to an upper floor of the building, and they escorted her down a hallway dotted with offices on either side. It ended at a door, and beyond it sat Agent Paul Andrews. He nodded at their entrance, and the agents escorting her pushed her fairly gently into the chair that rested across the desk from him. They departed, closing the door behind them.
Ruby said, “How did your people get there so fast?”
Andrews chuckled. “They were already there. You didn’t think we’d forgotten about you and the strange stuff that’s been happening in Ely since you returned, did you?”
Again, she said, “Coincidence, not causality. Not that I’m not flattered by the attention, but why did I need to take a trip to freaking Reno? Wouldn’t a call have sufficed?”
He shook his head. “I want to look you in the eyes for this particular conversation.” He leaned forward in his chair and put his elbows on the desk as he stared at her. “Tell me what you know about the vigilantes that keep popping up in your city and today, in your casino.”
Ruby scowled. “Seriously? You’re worried about the people fighting to defend others rather than the hoodlums who broke in and tried to kill a bunch of our employees?” She attempted to inject some of the authority of a casino owner into the question, but his unchanged expression showed the tactic had no particular influence on him.
“I’m worried about magicals operating outside the law. That’s what we do here, you know.”
She countered, “I saw some of those. They were smashing things in the casino, setting fires, and injuring or killing the people we’d hired to protect the place. Maybe you should get over there and investigate, or whatever it is you’re supposed to do when you’re not occupied harassing innocent bystanders.”
He grinned, showing his teeth, apparently enjoying the interchange. “It remains to be seen whether you’re innocent or a bystander, Ms. Achera. The local authorities will take care of those magicals you mentioned.”
Ruby snarled, “You know they’re not equipped to do that. We don’t have an AET unit, and the Ely police are definitely not up to the task.”
Andrews leaned back with a shrug. “Not our problem.”
“Hard to believe that given the many problems with your outfit, that’s not one of them.”
“I’ll ask again. Tell me what you know about the vigilantes.”
She crossed her arms, deciding she would try the role of offended casino owners’ daughter again. “I know they’re doing a better job than you are protecting our people.”
“What people are those? Mist Elves, like your family?”
She shook her head. “Anyone in Magic City counts. Owners, tourists, worker
s, hell, local wildlife. Whatever.”
His eyebrows furrowed as he frowned. “So, it’s your family’s position that people taking the law into their own hands is a good thing?”
“I speak for myself, not my family.”
He spread his hands to the sides. “Okay, so it’s your opinion that taking the law into one’s own hands is a good thing?”
Careful, Ruby. “I think it’s a continuum. Assisting the authorities by gathering information when they’re overstretched seems reasonable. As you know, I’ve been trying to figure out why the explosion happened at the Mist.”
Andrews nodded. “How’s that investigation going?” The sarcasm and condescension in the sentence, plus the matching look on his face, made her want to hit him. That’s exactly why he did it. He’s good.
“Not so great, if you must know. People in official positions seem to be focused on other, less important things and are unwilling to share information.”
He barked, out of nowhere, “Tell me who the people in the masks are. I know you know.”
She let the fact that he’d startled her show on her face and answered with as much sincerity as she could muster. “I have no idea. Maybe you should ask the Council.”
He snorted. “They’re useless, just like you appear to be.” He pressed a button on his desk phone and said, “Come get her.” Before the agents arrived to take ownership of her, he had one more warning to share. “I’m watching you, Achera. If I discover you know more than you’re telling, you’ll find yourself up on charges. That’s a promise.”