by Casey Knight
It wasn’t long before the all-clear siren sounded. I settled in to await the next contestant. This challenge was entertaining. If these guys didn’t pick it up, the time would run out without a winner, then they would all be assessed a huge time penalty. Then I heard running footsteps, and the furious fae burst back into the room. He wasted no time tapping the hourglass, the dove, then the sword. He never got to the fourth symbol because his picks animated the two skeletons hanging from the ceiling by chains. The skeletons glided down and took off after the fleeing fae. He would be fit if he kept this up. First, he incurs the wrath of the wraiths, and now the scorn of the skeletons. This didn’t appear to be his lucky day.
The fae hadn’t been gone long when the vampire’s sub arrived. The vamps could use a little luck. They were already down a team member. He studied the room and the symbols so long, I thought he had nodded off. When he finally moved, he approached the extinguished candle, tapped it once, then moved over and tapped the sword. He never got to his third symbol because his first two picks triggered a trap door under the sword and he dropped from sight.
Time had to be almost out on this challenge. The competitors obviously knew it because I heard the sound of running footsteps. A few seconds later, the fae burst back into the room. I’ll be damned, this guy was resilient. Some people might think the third time would be the charm, but I doubted it in this twisted competition. I thought it more likely that as the old saying goes about coincidence and luck. If it happens once, it is an accident; if it happens twice, it is a coincidence; if it happens a third time, it is a frontal assault. The fae was all business as he approached the symbols for his frontal assault. He did not hesitate as he moved to tap the dove, then the hourglass, then the sword, and finally the keys. No doom or mayhem ensued. He had done it. The horn sounded, indicating we had a winner. I had to give him credit for his persistence. I went to find my team, so we could get out of there. We needed to figure out who was trying to kill me, because there was only one challenge left, and they weren’t likely to quit trying.
Chapter Thirteen
Once everyone returned to the Four Courts and ate dinner, we convened in our underwater meeting room. I reminded everyone we had thirty-six hours to figure this out and asked Corbin to summarize the events from the third challenge.
“Lauren, there were four injuries. There were two vampires injured, neither seriously, but their team is down to one member. The lycan’s had no injuries this round and are holding at two members. The demons had two minor injuries, leaving their team with two members. The wizards are also down to two members. The fae and elves both have full teams. The wizard won the first challenge, the elf the second, and the fae the third. It is still anyone’s game.”
“Thank you, Corbin, for bringing us up to speed. Tokem, please share what you found on the surveillance tapes.”
“Lauren, we haven’t watched all of it, but our saboteurs have been busier than normal. I think they may be starting to panic. Hopefully, they’ve been careless and we will find something we can use. The most important thing we discovered was the ice demon wasn’t part of the original plan. If you look closely again, you’ll see two energy sources. Like the giant raptor, the energy signatures appear to vanish once the ice demon melts. Nice touch, warming Frosty up.”
“Thanks, Tokem, Frosty was a deranged demon with a heart of ice. Seriously, the worst part about the ice demon was he absorbed my energy. If I hadn’t been able to melt him by heating up his armor, I wouldn’t have been able to stop him.”
“Lauren, have you come across anything like this before?”
“Jason, I’ve had wizards channel my energy, but I’ve never seen a demon that could. “
“Do you think the demon was animated by a wizard or another entity with the power to co-opt your power?” Traygen asked.
“It is possible and that may give us a clue. Corbin, can you seek an audience with Queen Aerlene and see if she can trace whoever animated the snow demon? You will need to take her a gem to bribe her. Jason can help you. You two take care of that, and we’ll continue debriefing.”
Corbin and Jason left, and Tokem continued with his overview of the video.
“We didn’t have a camera in the room where the demon was knocked out and you were confronted, but there is footage from the hallway leading to the room where you and the demon were attacked. We picked it up when you sent your holographic image into the room. You can see the explosion, then see you dive through the doorway.”
“I wish we had a camera in there because I know two sources of dark magic in that room. The one to the right of the door was less malevolent. It almost caused me to leap to my left, where the stronger signature waited. Fortunately, I had scanned the area and already knew there were two sources of magic present, or I’d have leapt right into the most deadly source.”
“It’s almost like a tandem of gloom and doom. Where one scares you and the other kills you,” Traygen surmised.
“It almost mimics the way wolves hunt. Several wolves scare the prey and spook it into running right into the wolf or wolves who will kill it. This is definitely the work of a predator,” Tokem observed.
“I agree with you both. If you look at the video from the hall immediately after the final explosion, you can make out two separate signatures that move into the hall then just vanish. It is exactly like the vulture incident. We need to know how they are vanishing. Since we weren’t in the room when they disappeared, we will need to go back to the place where the vulture attacked. This may be our last chance before the final challenge begins.”
“Lauren, I’m going with you.”
“Tokem, do we have any cameras Traygen can wear? I want to film our little trip and I’ll need you to monitor it live, so if you see anything we miss, you can alert us.”
“Lauren, it will take me only a minute to get Traygen set up, and then I’ll stay keyed into your mics.”
“That sounds good.”
“I’ll go with you, Tokem. Lauren, I’ll be right back.”
I settled in to wait for Traygen to return and let my mind wander. I thought back to the first place we felt the evil essence. It was at the bog in the first universe, right after it exploded. Then we found it again in the second universe where the vulture attacked me. It was in those dunes we first spotted the energy signature of the two separate attackers. We had no picture at the third universe, but we definitely felt their essence. I had no experience with people just disappearing. Teleporting I could do. using my dragon’s eye statue or pendant, but I couldn’t simply disappear. This whole thing was unnerving.
I heard footsteps approaching and assumed Traygen had returned. However, as I spun to greet him, I realized it was Jason.
“Did you get Corbin set up to meet with Queen Aerlene?”
“I did, and he had a beautiful emerald. I only hope he gives it to her. I think he fancied it.”
“You know he will. I have a question for you. Have you ever heard of anyone who could disappear without using a magical key, like my pendant or statue? I’m trying to figure out how the two assassins vanished with no visible instrument.”
“Lauren, I’ve never seen anything like what happened at the oasis. Let me ask around, it seems like I’ve heard of wizards able to create portals between universes. I just can’t place it. You and Traygen, be extremely careful. Whoever is after you won’t stop now. They’ll likely pick up the pace, knowing there’s only one challenge left.”
“We will. Let me know when and if you find anything.”
Jason left before Traygen and Tokem returned. Traygen had a helmet camera, and Tokem made certain our mics were working. Satisfied, we headed to the transport where our hovercraft would launch us into the area. It didn’t take us long to get into orbit near the second universe, where we were unceremoniously dropped from the cargo hold. Such a glamorous life we lived.
Once we were free from the plane’s turbulence, Traygen guided us into the air over the dunes. He checked t
he coordinates before he throttled up and headed toward the place where we blasted the vulture. It wasn’t hard to find because there were still bits of the blasted bird littering the side of the dune. Traygen guided us down, and we landed atop a nearby sandbank. We didn’t want to take the chance that turbulence from our hovercraft would disturb the area.
“How do you want to handle this?”
“Traygen, do you have your talisman in a handy place?”
“I wouldn’t leave home without it. You know it is my favorite toy, I mean amulet. I love nothing better than to be whisked away to you.”
“I know you do, My Love. You make sure to keep it where you can grab it in a split second, because whoever is behind this will shoot first and check later.”
“I suggest we examine the area where we saw the man disappear. I got a good whiff of his scent, so I’ll know it when we find the place.”
“I will recognize the scent as well. Let’s approach the spot from below and work our way up. This way if we displace any sand we won’t cover up anything we haven’t already checked.”
We walked down the face of the dune we were on and trudged through the sand until we were at the base of the adjacent dune where the assassin had disappeared. I led the way, Traygen followed with his camera rolling.
“Tokem, are we about where the video indicates the man disappeared?”
“Lauren, move over to your right two paces and you will be directly below the spot where he vanished. My guess is you’re about six feet below the exact place.”
“Thanks, Tokem. Traygen, do you smell anything?”
“Not yet, let’s move up, and I’ll check again.”
I inched forward as carefully as I could, so I wouldn’t cause the sand to cascade toward us and potentially bury any evidence.
“Lauren, stop. I think I’ve picked up the scent from the room and the oasis. Yes, it is the same scent, fainter, but our same killer.”
“I’ve got an idea. Hold still and I’ll send out my magic probe to see if I get any hits.”
I calmed my breathing and centered myself, as centered as I could be clinging to a sand dune while searching for an evil entity. Satisfied I was ready, I sent my second sight in search of the dark magic that still clung to the area. I didn’t find anything directly above us, so I moved from right to left, back and forth across the face of the dune. Yes, I felt a flicker or shimmer of concentrated magical energy. I gotcha, and you won’t get away this time.
“Traygen, Tokem, I got something up and to the right at about four o’clock. Can either of you scent or see anything?”
“Lauren, I am sensing heavy static in that location. I’m not sure what to make of it. I’ll pull the footage from a moment before our assailant disappeared. Give me a second.”
“Lauren, I’ll need to get closer to check for scent. I’ll wait until we hear from Tokem.”
“I agree, and think we should move wide of the area, then approach it at the same level.”
We trudged off and gave the area a wide berth. Satisfied we were far enough away, we began walking back until we were approximately ten feet away and on the same level with the spot.
“Lauren, I can definitely smell our attacker. He was certainly in this vicinity.”
“Yes, and I found the same area of density or disturbance when I rechecked the first video feed. Your attacker walked right toward that dense disturbance when he disappeared. So, I would guess whatever that area is, it provided his means of escape.”
“Any ideas?” I asked.
“Lauren, Traygen, whatever you do, don’t get any closer to that spot. We have no idea what it is, and for all we know, it could whisk you both away right into the waiting arms of the assassin.”
Before I could reply, Jason’s voice came through our mics.
“Lauren, Tokem, and Traygen, I think you’ve found a portal. Tokem is correct. Do not approach it. We need to research it before we decide how to approach it.”
“Jason, we are running out of time.”
“Lauren, I know, but it is too dangerous to chance any interaction with that thing. Come on back, and we can decide what to do next.”
I couldn’t walk away without knowing what that thing was. Jason told me not to approach it, but he didn’t say I couldn’t throw an object at it. I took my flashlight out of my pack and tossed it in the air to get a feel for its weight. Then I turned, eyed the shimmering area, and threw the flashlight at it. The flashlight sailed through the air and when it hit the area of density, it disappeared. Gone. Well, that answered that question. Now we know how our illusory and lethal assassins had vanished. What we don’t know was to where.
Traygen and I returned to our meeting rooms where the rest of the team was assembled. Corbin was back, and hopefully he had luck with Queen Aerlene.
“Corbin, what did Queen Aerlene know about the snow demon?”
“Lauren, she wasn’t overly helpful. She is miffed that we aren’t sharing our information on Queen Mab and her warlock.”
“Lauren, if I may interject.”
I nodded for Jason to say whatever was on his mind.
“Queen Aerlene knows we have arrest warrants out for the two spies, and she suspects or hopes Mab is involved. She would like nothing more than to publicly discredit Mab. I’ve thrown her a bone so to speak and informed her of our plans to arrest Grayson and Trax. She now knows the two were working together, and is satisfied for the time being.”
“Jason, where are we with the warrants on Grayson and Trax? I’d feel better if I knew they were under arrest.”
“Lauren, we haven’t been able to find either one of them. They may have planned to vanish, or more than likely heard we were after them. We are pulling out all stops to get them arrested.”
“Thank you, Jason. Corbin, go ahead.”
“As I said, she is irked that we are keeping her out of the loop. Nevertheless, the two-carat emerald I gave her persuaded her to look at Frosty’s rental agreement. It was no one she knew, and she seemed genuinely baffled by it. If I had to guess, I would say whoever activated Frosty used a bogus identity, so we are right back where we started.”
“I disagree; at least we know who wasn’t involved. We have known since we first scented the dark magic at the oasis it wasn’t anyone we knew. Now it is time to see if we can trace the magic.”
“Traygen, I don’t think we have enough time to track the magic. We have less then twenty-four hours before the final event. I have another idea. I think we need to scour the final universe and look for areas of disturbance like the one we just confirmed. If we don’t find it before the final challenge begins, I’ll go through the area by the oasis.”
“Lauren, that is too dangerous. You are exactly who they’re trying to kill. No, hear me out. I think you should remain visible, a target, and I’ll go through with a team. They won’t expect us, and we will either capture them or rescue you if they grab you first.”
“Jason is right. He is the only one who hasn’t been routinely stationed at the previous challenges, so won’t be missed when he slips away after the second challenge. The only risk is that the assassins will make a play before he is released from his duties,” Traygen noted.
“Lauren, this is why I need you to hold back until I’m cleared. You’ll still have plenty of time to get in place before any competitors arrive. Don’t argue, you know I’m right.”
“Jason, as much as I hate to admit it, I can’t argue, but in the meantime, I’ll do everything I can to trace the magic. I’ll need Corbin and Traygen to find the portal in the final universe. Tokem, you will help guide them by mic and video feed. I’m going to Traygen’s family home and to their library. If this magic is as old as I think, they may have history. We will need everything we can muster to beat these foes.”
We broke from our meeting to take up our respective tasks. I hugged Traygen and transported myself to his ancestral home where Trevor met me.
“Lauren, it is wonderful to see you again. H
ow can I help?”
“Trevor, I know Traygen filled you in on some of the details, but I need to know if your library stores anything on ancient dark magic.”
“I checked with my father. We have a section we keep under locked guard. It includes stories and firsthand accounts of any black magic we’ve faced over our recorded history. I’ll take you there now if you’ll follow me.”
“Thank you, Trevor, and please give the King my best. If I don’t see you when I’m done, Godspeed.”
“You too, Lauren. Good luck and keep safe.”
Once we found the small room, the guard unlocked it, stepped aside, and let me in. Then he relocked it and gave me instructions on how to summon him when I finished. The room was seventy square feet with floor to ceiling bookshelves. There was a lone table and chair in the center of the chamber, both coated with dust. It didn’t look like anyone had been there in ages. There were several large candles on the table, but I opted to illuminate the space with my staff. I called forth several globes of light I hung in the air above the table. I saw well enough to read, and the lights added warmth to this dismally dreary dust covered collection of darkness and doom.
I had no idea where to begin. I walked around the room until I came to the tomes I thought were the oldest. As I scanned the books and their titles, I gave an involuntary shiver. I had a hunch these books were releasing or leaking magic. I took out my magical GPS, and the needle nearly blew off the charts. Son of a bitch, this place reeked of evil energy. I would need a psychic or spiritual cleansing when I left here. Since my GPS was working, I let it guide me to worst of the worst of the offensive and offending books.