by Casey Knight
“Do you think we’re dealing with only one person? Corbin asked.
“It sure seems that way,” Jason replied.
I didn’t say anything, but had my doubts. Something didn’t feel right about this from the start when we found the dead guard drained. Why go to the trouble to make us think a vampire killed him, when it was so easy to find the truth. Also, a familiar being involved in a death we found before the games even started. It would have made more sense to keep them hidden until the games began. Lastly, the portals we found that led to the council chambers and to Mabs court. No, there was definitely more going on here, and we were running out of time to figure it out. The opening of the games is less than forty-eight hours away. As usual, we had more questions than answers.
We wrapped up our discussions and turned in for the evening. The only thing we decided on was how to seal our meetings from the spy. It didn’t seem important to seal the design team in because, let’s face it, whatever they knew was compromised long ago. Any advantage the garden-variety mole would’ve uncovered could be used against the lethal level of subterfuge we’d uncovered. We would now have to protect the individual team members, and I didn’t even want to think about what that meant. No, for tonight I just wanted to hold Traygen.
Chapter Seven
We were up early the next morning. After a quick breakfast, we joined the team at the council headquarters. Once everyone was present, Jason took control of the meeting.
“With less than forty-eight hours until the games begin, I think we need to change our strategy. It’s obvious to me the designs have already been compromised, so I don’t think there is any need to protect the designers, other than the plans we have in place. I think we must assume each universe was tampered with or altered.”
“I agree. I think we need to plan to protect each competitor while they’re in each respective universe. This won’t be easy, because there are many legitimate hazards designed into each one. We shouldn’t interfere with those aspects. However, we will provide a presence so nothing which isn’t part of the game interferes.”
“How will we know what is planned and what is out of the ordinary?”
“Corbin, all we can do is go by the design teams’ plans. We will have to commit them to memory, but remember, the competitors are wearing suits to record every hit. Nothing is to be lethal. The hits can eliminate them from competing but not from breathing.”
“Gee, I feel better knowing I’m still safe. What if we have no prior warning of an attack?” Tokem joked.
“We won’t likely have any prior warning. Tokem, we will have you watching the live feeds for spikes in magic and anything or anyone that doesn’t belong. Look, this won’t be easy. We will assign a team to work with you on this. I suspect we have more than one saboteur.”
“Lauren, I won’t let anything get past me.”
“Tokem, I know you won’t. I think you should assemble your team.”
Tokem sped from the room to pull together his team. No one spoke for several minutes before Jason continued.
“Lauren might be right, but until we get to the bottom of this, we need to study the plans for each universe. We need to know them forward and backwards. Pay special attention to any places where an unexpected attack might occur. I’m sure we won’t anticipate them all, but at least will get a better feel for what we’re up against.”
“I agree with Jason. I propose we each take a universe, review its challenges, then come up with a plan. There are film and design plans for each world. We will meet back here after dinner to share our ideas and strategies. I recommend we stay here because we know this location isn’t compromised. So spread out and get started,” Lauren suggested.
I picked the final universe, which had four challenges. Taking the design blueprint and the notes we had, I settled in to read. It took me most of the morning to review the design team’s plans. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind this universe had the potential to be deadly with no outside interference. Then I switched to the notes our team had compiled. When I was satisfied I’d read everything I could, I went back to each challenge to search for different ways the setting could trap, kill, or maim a competitor. There would be five competitors if they all survived to the final stage. I thought it was likely any competitor could inadvertently trigger something, which might also trap a nearby challenger, although if they were close enough to be caught in the same trap, I would hope they would see the deception and avoid it. If they got caught in the same trap, then they deserved it for being dumb asses. If I was lucky, a few teams would be eliminated before they got that far. It would make it easier to protect them if there were fewer teams. When I was satisfied with my first draft, I took a walk to stretch my legs. Before I knew it, I found myself in the library. The council had an immense collection of books. However, I was interested only in the banned section. I called Jason, and he flashed in moments later.
“What’s up?”
“Jason, I want to take a look at the dark magic section.”
“You what? You know it is off limits, forbidden.”
“I know, that’s why I hoped you could get me in.”
“What is so compelling that you need access to those files?”
“Whoever created that crater when they blew up your trap was using dark magic, banned magic. I need to know what I am up against if I hope to counter it or stop it.”
He remained silent for so long, I thought he wouldn’t answer.
“I could be sanctioned or banished for this. Yet if we fail to protect the competitors in these games, we could have a war on our hands. I’ll let you in, but no one, and I mean no one, can know.”
I followed him down several flights of stairs until we appeared to have reached a dead-end. Jason stopped and knelt down. He pulled chalk from his pocket and used it to draw a circle. Jason motioned for me to step inside the circle with him. Once I was within the circle, he uttered a spell in a language I didn’t recognize and we disappeared.
“Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared, and I looked around. I’d never been in this library. The room looked like it was from the thirteenth century. The ceilings were high and vaulted, painted with frescos, and tapestries adorned the walls; a beautiful setting for such a deadly and sinister place. I would have loved to look around, but Jason was back.
“I had to erase any trace of my circle so no one would find it or use it. Follow me, I’ll show you where those types of spells are kept.”
He moved off through the stacks and around the artifacts. I had to put my hands in my pockets. I wanted to reach out and touch everything. There were relics everywhere, but not restricted to this area because they were benign. They were as lethal as a heart attack.
“Here you go. This section contains everything we know about the dark arts. Remember, you can’t remove anything from this area. These spells are forbidden. I’ll be back for you in an hour because if you don’t find it by then, you will never find it.”
I sat in an area heavily influenced with Renaissance art. The statues were almost three-dimensional and so life-like, I was tempted to touch them. The place had a spooky feel, as if I was being watched. For all I knew, I was. The paintings seemed to have a depth that gave them an almost erotic nature. I’ll bet the church just loved those. I skimmed the book titles in front of me. These books were so old, I am sure they were the originals. I sat down in a frustrated snit because the clock was ticking, and I no idea what I was looking for. I tried to remember the feel of the magic as it rolled over me. It felt like an evil shroud settling around me, suffocating; clinging; as deadly as strychnine.
Magic isn’t so much black or white, but more closely connected to the user’s intent. So how a wielder uses the magic, or for what purpose, makes it black, white, or gray. This much I already knew. I still didn’t know what the user was trying to do when he blew up the oasis. Kill my team? Maybe, but there were much easier ways to create less karmic debt, the wielder had used
a flamethrower when a match would’ve sufficed. I was more certain than ever that killing my team wasn’t the reason for this magic.
If I had to hazard a guess, I would say whatever blew the trap up was a talisman of some sort. This narrowed my search. I scanned the books until I found a few promising volumes. I skimmed several before I found one that looked encouraging. It was on shamanism and the use of a talisman. Talismans are used to strike back, not protect. An amulet is designed to protect the wearer; a talisman is an offensive weapon. The most powerful talismans are made combining two kingdoms. The most common are animal and mineral, or plant and mineral. It is for just this reason that fossils make excellent talismans.
The scary thing about talismans is they can be charged to hold a tremendous amount of energy, and anything can be charged. I could, in theory, charge an entire building. A building could hold the charge until I set it off and explode it from anywhere. My guess is, our spy had laced the universes with talismans which, unless we removed them, would make those universes death traps.
As I read, I discovered shamans used them, as well as wizards, fae, and elves. That fact didn’t narrow my search much. I mean, technically, anyone associated with the supernatural groups could have someone capable of making a talisman, but I knew few were capable of creating a black spell like the traces left by the explosion. For one, I was forbidden from using such magic, as were the wizards employed by the council. None of this helped me identify the spy, and there was still the problem with the familiars and whoever was animating them. This type of invocative magic isn’t complicated, and in theory, almost anyone could do it. All they needed was a protective circle. It was possible though, and I thought likely the familiars were charged like the talisman, and a circle wasn’t necessary.
Jason popped back in to tell me my time was up. I think I had what I’d come for. I was sure I knew what was being used, and could make my own talismans to distribute to our team. They could use them against the familiars, or check out the safety of an area. I had work to do. I transported myself directly to my office and started making the talismans. It took me time to decide what to use. After giving it considerable thought, I decided on steel bearings. They are made of plant and mineral, small enough to carry. I filled them with enough energy to level a car. I didn’t want to take out the entire universe. Then I made amulets for each of us to shield us from blasts. When I finished, it was late, and time to join the others to review how we would patrol the universes.
“Hey, where have you been my love?”
“Miss me?” I asked.
“You know it, technically, we are still on our honeymoon.”
“Traygen, my love, we will always be on our honeymoon.”
“Oh, please, you two need to get a room.”
“That is exactly what I was thinking, but Jason is expecting a report from each of us. Let’s go in order. Tokem you can begin with the first universe,” I said.
We reported and commented on each other’s preparations until we did everything possible to protect the competitors. Then I handed out the talismans and instructions on how to use them, and what to expect, and gave them their amulets. We finished late and turned in for the evening. Tomorrow the games would begin, and we would all be patrolling universe number one.
“Tokem, do you think you can expand your electronic surveillance to cover the rooms within the Four-Courts? Because once the games begin, we cannot run them from there. I was thinking you could scramble our communications and who knows, maybe we can pick up something.”
“Lauren, I’ll get right on it. I’m sure I’ll have it up and running in a few hours. All we will need is more people to listen to communications and alert us to anything unusual.”
“Let me know when it is operational.”
“Tokem, I’ll send you a crew to help with the tapes,” Jason said.
“We better turn in, tomorrow we have the opening ceremonies, and the next day the games begin.”
I concluded the meeting and got ready to turn in. Traygen joined Tokem to set up the additional surveillance. Corbin was speaking with Jason and I returned to my office to review tomorrow’s plans. I greeted Xena, and we rolled around on the floor for a while. I was glad she had Jake to play with while I worked on an assignment. Once I had tired us both out, I sat down and reviewed the protocol for tomorrow’s opening ceremonies. They weren’t elaborate ceremonies. Their primary purpose was to introduce the teams and to review the rules. There was a formal dinner and then the games began the next day. The competition lasted as long as it took for someone to finish the challenges, or until every team was eliminated. The last part reminded me to find something to wear for the dinner. This made my heart skip a beat. I loved dressing to the nines. I jumped up and ran to my closet to find something to wear; keeping in mind I needed to accessorize it with weapons of mass destruction. I was working, after all. I sorted through my designer gowns and finally settled on a black dress by Tony Bowls. It had an asymmetrical neckline with a beaded bodice, and a sweeping black velvet skirt with a slit up one leg, reaching almost to the top of my thigh. It would allow me to strap a small handgun to my upper leg and retrieve it without much effort. I would fasten a small blade to my other thigh and wear my bracelet. I had just the shoes to go with it, a pair of black Alexander McQueen pumps with four and a half inch heels. They had an open toe and a leather and lace design. Satisfied I would be dressed to kill in every sense of the word, I got in bed to read and wait for Traygen. I must have dozed off before he returned, because when I woke up, my favorite dragon was curled up next to me.
We got up, showered, and enjoyed our breakfast before we transported to the Four-Courts. The first thing we did was check to see if Tokem had the premises under surveillance. We found him directing traffic, and I saw Jason’s team was present and hard at work.
“Hey, you two, it’s about time you showed up. We’ve been up and running for three hours. I’ve got three men monitoring the recording equipment and three listening to what we’ve recorded so far.”
“Good job, Tokem. I want you to stay and continue supervising this. Have you seen Corbin or Jason yet this morning?”
“Yeah, they’re with security monitoring the incoming teams.”
We went in to search for the rest of our squad. We found them reviewing the procedures for the opening ceremonies with our security teams. They had things under control, so we went to make sure the design team was ready and safe. Everything seemed to be running on time, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right. I attributed it to nerves, and we continued making the rounds. The day wore on, and the competing teams were in their quarters. I was preparing for the opening ceremonies when Tokem came in.
“Hey, Lauren, you’ve got to hear this. We were reviewing audio from right before the opening ceremony. We took a chance and placed bugs out in the gardens near benches, in case someone wanted to talk without being overheard,” Tokem explained.
He handed me a headset, and I sat down to listen. It was two men. I didn’t recognize their voices, but it got my attention.
“What have you learned about tomorrow’s opening ceremonies?”
“Nothing. They moved their meetings to the council and I can’t gain entry. They didn’t catch me, but they are aware I’ve been infiltrating their planning sessions and universes.”
“Are they aware of your planted traps? We need to make sure the games are a failure.”
“They know familiars in the universes aren’t part of the plan, but they’ve no way to trace them to us.”
“You see it stays that way, because if they find out what we’re planning there will be war.”
“I thought that’s what we wanted?”
“It is, fool, but not with every race.”
“There is still one thing that troubles me. Who drained the guard? Someone else is operating off the grid. I only hope it isn’t Aerlene’s wizard trying to beat us.”
“Why would she bring disgrace to t
he games she is hosting? To frame us? It might backfire on her. No, I don’t think it’s her. Just keep your guard up. Remember, don’t underestimate Lauren, and remember - she is mine.”
“As you wish.”
“Tokem, where was this recorded?”
“Out by the fountain. There are several stone benches near it. I assume they thought they were safe there, and if they weren’t, the sounds from the fountain would drown out their conversation. We put a small camera there in case they come back.”
“Well done. It doesn’t tell us who. Still, they may slip up and use the same location twice, and then we will have them.”
I went back inside to check in with the rest of the crew. Everything was running smoothly, and time for me to get dressed for tonight’s festivities. I teleported home, took a shower and dressed for the evening. I was just strapping on my weapons when Traygen emerged from his shower. When he spotted me, he let out a low whistle.
“Thank you, my love, but if that is what you are wearing tonight, I must insist you stay home. I’m not sharing you, my handsome husband.”
“I like the sound of that. You know I hate these things.”
“I know, but you look great in your tux and besides, I need you to escort me. You’re my most cherished accessory.”
“Accessory am I?”
“No, you are the love of my life and I need you. Besides, I have a bad feeling about tonight’s activities.”
I filled him in on what Tokem recorded as we finished dressing. He didn’t like the part about me, but let’s face it; I’d made too many enemies over the years to identify which one from the voices on the tape. We would have to let this play out and try to stay one step ahead of our saboteurs.
I transported us back to the Four-Courts, where we joined the rest of the team at the opening dinner. Corbin looked dashing in his tux, Tokem was heading the surveillance team, and Jason was mingling. He had the emcee duties for the evening because he was heading the wizard’s delegation. Queen Aerlene made a speech as hostess of the games. She was brief, keeping things light, then everyone was seated for dinner. I didn’t think anything would happen until after dinner when the dancing started. Traygen and I worked the room and kept an eye out for anything that didn’t feel right. The respective competitors were staying close to their assigned tables, unwilling to mingle with their rivals.