Agent of Magic Box Set

by Melissa Hawke

  “What?” I asked. “What is it?”

  “The third coordinate is depth,” he said quietly. His face had adopted a pale, parchment-like color and he stared into the middle-distance, looking at something I couldn’t see.

  “Depth? What’s a hundred feet below Paris?”

  “The catacombs,” he answered grimly. “They’re keeping whatever it is in the Paris catacombs.”

  chapter

  13

  JAY AND BLY’S PLEASURE AT finding out we’d formulated an escape plan dimmed when they were informed that we’d be going into narrow and often unstable tunnels, hundreds of feet beneath Paris.

  “What in God’s name could you want down there?” Bly demanded, glaring at each of us in turn. “That summoner is just leading us into a trap. We’ll be buried alive. Wolves aren’t meant to be underground.”

  I wasn’t about to defend Findlay. He’d done nothing to deserve it and I wasn’t entirely sure they were wrong. This could very well be a trap. But a few things made me believe that he was on the level.

  First, the vampires still had plans for me. Right now all they had to do was wait for my three-day timer to wind down and toss me off onto Wolf Isle once Valerius had taken hold of my body. If he’d wanted to trap me, why would he drag me halfway across the world to do it? Secondly, he’d given us weapons to work with. Dominic was already faring leagues better with the simple length of oak than with my temperamental wand. The best fit would be one of his relative’s wands, which he could acquire once we made our way to France. I liked our chances against our enemies when Dominic had full access to his alchemist gear.

  I’d seen him at his peak. The protection detail for Elle Dawson had been forced to be discreet. When equipped with more than just a wand, Dominic was a force to be reckoned with. Assuming the building hadn’t been cordoned off by Trust agents, there would be an opportunity to slip in and get the supplies we needed before uncovering whatever was hidden in the catacombs.

  Though optimism had been quashed out of me by time and experience, I couldn’t help a small twinge of hope that Findlay was trying to lead me to my sister. After all, what else could it be? It was the only thing we had in common, the only thing we both cared about.

  “I’m afraid we don’t have much of a choice,” Dominic said with a frown. “If Findlay thought this information was relevant enough to risk capture by his vampire bosses, it’s probably something we can’t ignore.”

  “What about us, huh?” Bly asked, voice rising in anger. “What about curing us? You said that was our goal, not this ill-conceived treasure hunt! Don’t forget, more than one wolf has already died for this quest.”

  Guilt twisted my insides into knots, and I glanced shame-faced at the pair of wolves sitting across from me. Bly was right, of course. Our priority had to be the wolves. Thousands of them were set to die if we didn’t do something about it. Even if I didn’t blow the island sky-high when Valerius took over, they’d continue to die of disease and overcrowding. Though, with me gone, they’d also be in a lot less danger. They’d just have to fend for themselves for a few more days.

  “It’s entirely possible that these coordinates lead to Elle,” Dom said. “Natalia believes that she’s being sheltered by a group of mercenaries, but that’s not a certainty. If the vampires managed to capture her, she could be here.”

  I cringed at the lie. If the vampires had gotten their hands on Elle Dawson, she would have had her throat torn out and was well on her way to being digested by now. After engineering the lupine virus, she had outlived her usefulness. Once she started working on the cure, Lamonia hired me to take her out. I’m sure he’d sent other assassins since. If Elle was alive somewhere, it was because my ex-boss Landon was keeping her safe.

  Bly looked ready to protest, her dark eyes glittering with barely restrained anger. I admired a woman who could call out bullshit when she heard it. I was about to plead with her when Jay spoke.

  “I think we should go.”

  I gave him a searching look. “Are you sure? Your sister is still on the island. This could be a wild goose chase.”

  Dom gave me a warning look, but I hated lying to their faces.

  “I don’t know how to say it exactly,” Jay said, “but having that summoner control my body like that, being unable to resist it…” Jay shuddered. “Let’s just say I never want to feel like that again. He could have made me kill you. For a second, I wanted to. If this is a cry for help, he’s obviously not on their side by choice.”

  “And if we can get him on our side,” Dom agreed, “we can fight the vamps together. A fair fight this time.”

  The thought of fighting alongside Findlay made me want to spit, but I nodded grudgingly. As it stood now, Findlay was the puppet leader of the Trust. He, alongside my sister, were gearing up for the biggest war the Trust had ever fought. If we could avert the vampire’s plans entirely by removing him from their list of cronies, so much the better.

  “So we’re going to Paris?”

  Jay and Dominic nodded. Bly threw her hands up in surrender. “Fine. I’m in. But if we’re buried under an avalanche of bones, I’m coming after you in the afterlife, pack leader.”

  I didn’t bother to mention that if we were buried under an avalanche of bones, I’d resurrect. Flaunting my nigh-immortality seemed in poor taste at the moment.

  I tucked the Beretta into my waistband, feeling incredibly nervous about its positioning. As soon as we cleared this cell I was stealing a holster from a guard. Stuffing a gun down one’s pants simply wasn’t safe.

  Of course, shooting myself in the ass would be the least painful thing I’d experienced in the last few days. Go figure.

  ***

  “I don’t like this,” Dominic muttered, watching me ready the jagged piece of steel I’d torn from the bed frame. It hovered dangerously over my right wrist. When the time came, I’d use it.

  “It was your idea,” I hissed. “Now be quiet.”

  Dominic lapsed into silence, though I could still make out the steady cadence of his breathing just over my shoulder. The plan was a relatively simple one, but I was confident it would work. All we needed to do was get the door open, and Dom and I could accomplish the rest. Without Findlay to stop our backup, I thought we stood a chance of commandeering the ship. But it had to look convincing.

  Jay stood on the other side of the door, a bristling mass of fur and muscle. I inclined my head to him once and he stood up to his full height, towering over me. His lips pulled away from his teeth in a fierce growl.

  It wasn’t hard to conjure up a convincing scream when he lunged for me. His canines snapped shut inches away from my jugular, splattering my front with globules of spittle.

  “Get off of her!” Dominic roared. That was my cue.

  Gritting my teeth, I stabbed the metal shard through my wrist with as much strength as I could muster. It had to look real. Blood began to pour out of the resulting wound, splattering the door. I spun around, sending a spray of blood against the beds and walls. Along with the congealing pool on the ground surrounding me, I looked like a macabre fountain.

  Blood magic felt different, now that I’d joined the ranks of the almost-undead. When I’d last stepped in large quantities of blood, it had felt like death itself was running a finger along my aura. Now, the slide of warm blood felt like the warm pulse of joy that came with downing a bottle. The difference was staggering and a little disturbing. I already had enough personal foibles to deal with. I didn’t want to add bloodthirst to the list.

  Footsteps pounded down the hall.

  “Hurry!” Dom snapped. “One of the mutts bit her. Don’t you know what she is? If she dies on the ship, she could blow us all to hell!”

  I heard the jangling of keys and frantic shuffling, then the door banged open. Two vampires burst into our cell. The first was tall and lanky, probably turned before he’d grown into the height that a teenage growth spurt would have afforded him. The se
cond was shorter, stockier, and armed.

  We were ready for them.

  Dominic’s magic came a little slower through the oak wand, but he’d been able to produce the malleable silver disc he so often used as a shield. With a muttered word in French he sent the disc hurtling at the first guard. The taller vampire barely had time to blink before the silver disc hit him, severing his head from his body with a neat snick. The headless body swayed for a second as though it might carry on the attack before the skin burst like a squeezed plum and a fountain of fleshy goo spilled out.

  The second vampire was quicker on the draw and managed to unholster his weapon and bring it to bear. The blow I aimed at his shooting arm snapped the bone just before the elbow and he let out a wordless shriek. I jabbed the Beretta between his eyes and pulled the trigger before he could draw more attention to our escape. The gun sounded with a sharp puff, like popping a balloon, and the vampire’s head exploded.

  “Gross,” I groused as the vampire muck splashed all over my front. The viscera coating my sweater was thick and heavy. I wasn’t going to erase the sensation on my skin without a shower and a truckload of body wash. “This is never going to come out.”

  “I think we have bigger things to worry about than your wardrobe, Nat,” Dom said, stepping out into the hallway. If I strained my hearing, I could hear the approach of at least a dozen boots. “They’re coming. Make every bullet count.”

  I nodded grimly. Findlay had only provided me with the standard fifteen-round magazine that came with the Beretta M9. There were easily twice as many bloodsuckers on board. I couldn’t waste any bullets. Stepping out behind Dom, I crouched, adopting a firing position behind his rippling shield. Bly and Jay would hang back, dealing with any vampires who tried to flank us. If they threw themselves into the fray, I’d have to be careful not to shoot them as well.

  The first vampire came hurtling down the hallway, followed by two of his fellows. Fortunately for us, the halls here were narrow and provided us with a natural choke point. I got a vague impression of a blonde crew cut and wide baby blues before loosing a round on the leader. He froze in mid-step, eyes going wide as he stared at the smoking quarter-sized hole in his chest. The wound continued to pour smoke for a few seconds before orange flame blossomed out of the vamp’s chest, spreading along his skin with incredible speed. The vamp let out a primal scream as he was consumed by the blaze.

  “What’s in those bullets, holy water?” Dom asked.

  “Prayers and Vitamin D,” I grinned. So Findlay had procured that gun from Anton. It must have cost him a fortune. It was my first multi-purpose magazine, containing incendiaries, silver shrapnel, and the standard speed and accuracy enhancements.

  Mercifully, the vampire’s agony was kept to a minimum. He popped a few seconds later, showering his fellows with gore. The vampire guard just behind him slipped and went down in the puddle, providing me with an easy target. He was hit with an explosive round that shattered his rib cage and gave me a revolting look at his lungs and unbeating heart before he also dissolved into goo.

  The third vampire was luckier, and flung a dagger before I could end his unlife once and for all. I was only saved from a messy death and resurrection by Dom’s shield. The explosion of kinetic energy as the blade impacted sent sparks dancing across the dimly lit hall. Back braced against the shield, Dom’s magic buffeted me like a windstorm.

  Jay’s snarl, so deep and close, resonated in my bones as he shot out of the entrance of the cell and toward the end of the hall, closely trailed by Bly. His keen eyes had spotted what mine had not. Another pair of vampires had been attempting to approach from behind. I spared only a fleeting glance in their direction as Jay descended on the first. I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch him tear the head off of a humanoid creature, no matter how vile it might be. Somehow I thought it would spoil the memory of the one lip-lock we’d shared.

  We rushed down the hall, but were pinned down by heavy fire before we made it up the stairs. A pair of Uzis, from the sound of it. Most vampires were strong and quick enough that they never really needed to carry weapons, though a few appreciated the spectacle of a fancy blade or dagger. But Lamonia’s younger lackeys weren’t taking any chances against two of the Five, even if we had been locked up and unarmed.

  I closed my eyes, reaching out my aura.

  “There are at least two dozen more vampires,” I said. Part of me felt honored that Lamonia would leave this many resources devoted to us. He’d obviously learned not to underestimate me. But that didn’t change the fact that we were vastly outnumbered.

  “If I had an electrode and more energy…” Dom muttered to himself.

  I grinned tightly. “If only.”

  If Dom had access to his gear, he could show these undead freaks exactly why he’d been nicknamed the Tempest.

  Dom was the first member of his family to stray from his alchemist roots. The latest in a proud line of mages descended from Nicolas Flamel, Dom’s family would have been happy if he’d continued to create potions and elixirs for the Trust’s stores. Instead, he’d become the first mage ever to create and control lightning. Not even Ewan Saunders, the most powerful elemental mage seen in centuries, could create something from nothing.

  With the proper equipment, Dom could.

  I bit my lip, considering. Ten bullets left. That guaranteed me ten deaths or less, depending on the speed of the vampire. I could only pluck out individual targets. After that, it would be hand-to-hand combat against at least a handful of vampires. Even with Valerius’ speed and power, I’d have to trust my companions to finish them off. And we’d only get one chance. If we failed, it wasn’t just our lives on the line, it was every soul on Wolf Isle, as well as the future of the Trust.

  But if Dom could drop them en masse…

  I slid behind the shield once more and removed the magazine, tapping the bullets into my palm. I didn’t examine them closely. It wouldn’t matter what the enchantment was, just that the bullets contained a store of my energy. I yanked Dominic down to my level and pushed the bullets into his hand. He stared down at them in incomprehension.

  “What’s this?”

  “Conductive material with supercharged energy,” I shot back. “A hundred hours of spellcasting on each bullet.”

  Realization dawned a few seconds later and he tried to shove them back to me. “Nat, we can’t. This is a confined space. If it touched you, Jay, or Bly…”

  “We’ll retreat to the upper deck.”

  “They won’t hold a charge,” he argued, belligerent as always. “I’d have one shot at it, Nat.”

  “Make it count.”

  “But—”

  “Now, Dom! We don’t have time to argue.”

  Dominic hesitated another fraction of a second before pushing me toward the end of the hall. I craned my neck in time to see him curl his fingers around the bullets I’d offered him, one for every finger on each hand. Blue sparks crackled around each fist as he drew in power. When that shield dropped, the vampires were in for one hell of a surprise.

  “Move!” I barked at Jay and Bly, as a light exploded in the hall, showering us with broken glass. I skirted past the remains of their victims, now just puddles of goop on the floor.

  The wolves didn’t need to be told twice. We pounded up the back staircase, heading for the deck. Without bullets my Beretta was little more than a shimmering piece of metal. I’d just have to trust that Jay and Bly weren’t going to let anyone eat my face off when we reached the deck.

  I felt it the moment Dom loosed the bolt. The entire ship shuddered and the magical feedback was enough to draw a whine from Jay and Bly. I seized them both by the scruff of the necks, removing them from contact with the metal deck before jumping onto a thick rubber mat. There were enough non-conductive materials on the ship that I didn’t think the charge would spread up here, but I couldn’t be sure. Better only I die if the shock proved too powerful.

  Dazzlingly white l
ightning flashed from the hallway we’d just exited, stabbing towards the dark storm clouds above us. Even Valerius paused to absorb the wash of energy over my aura.

  Not so pathetic after all, it mused.

  Coming from Valerius? It was a glowing commendation.

  When the backwash of power dissipated, I felt safe enough to set Jay and Bly down. Bly snapped at my ankles like an irritated terrier. I winced when her teeth cut through my calf. I probably deserved it for hoisting her up like that. I clutched at my useless gun, waiting for someone else to emerge. I hadn’t heard anything from the floor below. Of course, if everything had gone as planned, I wouldn’t. Electrocution wasn’t a death that allowed for a lot of screaming.

  I extended my aura, sweeping it across the deck of the ship in case there were any more undead assholes we needed to contend with. The sucking absence of life that was a vampire’s essence was nowhere to be found on the ironclad. For a moment, it was silent apart from the wind over the ocean and my beating heart.

  I held my breath as a shape appeared in the gap. My senses weren’t what they used to be. I wasn’t sure I could trust the information Valerius was feeding me.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when I caught sight of Dom stalking out of the gloom, his black jacket steaming. Before I could pause to consider it, I’d flung myself into his arms and kissed him hard on the mouth. It didn’t matter that he was singed and smoking in places. I wound myself around him like a choking vine and clung for dear life.

  I might have done more, despite our audience, if Jay hadn’t cleared his throat.

  “Guys, we’ve got incoming.”

  It took effort to pull away from Dom and turn to see what Jay indicated. When I had, all the elation of our victory crumbled away like a dollar store cookie. We had incoming alright. A Galleon ship was headed straight for us, a ghostly figure that seemed to slide right out of the 17th century and into my nightmares. A flag billowed off of the mast, curling in the light breeze. The image emblazoned on it was colorful and familiar. Two crossed swords beneath a severed wolf’s head.