“A little illegal? I’m pretty sure you can’t be a little illegal.” Hayley laughed.
“No, well, I suppose not. He’s not a bad guy though; I mean, he doesn’t commit crimes, as such. He doesn’t beat people up or play with drugs or guns – the really bad stuff. He just sidesteps the red tape that I usually get tangled up in. It helps to get the job done, sometimes.”
“But you don’t enjoy having to ask.” She was perceptive.
“No,” I sighed. “We have some history between us – way back. It can get a bit awkward.” Hayley nodded knowingly. “And, Jamie’s a full on kinda guy. You’ll see what I mean. Work is never just work with him; it can be a bit of a battle to get along and get the job done. If I had to work with him every day, I think one of us would be six-feet under by now.” Either I’d have put him under to get rid of his incessant flirtation, or myself just to escape it.
“Yikes. I don’t think I could cope with him either.”
I didn’t answer, but I agreed wholeheartedly with her. He was far too slapdash and gung-ho for her prim and proper, methodical approach.
We arrived at Nando’s at six-thirty, in plenty of time, and sat down to eat our meal first. It was an effort not to tear into my food like an animal; I hadn’t eaten since a measly breakfast that day and the succulent, rich smell of chicken made me drool uncontrollably.
By seven, we both sat back in our chairs, completely stuffed. I toyed with the idea of unbuttoning the top of my pants – that’s how full I felt – but I decided against it. I groaned, with satisfaction and disgust at how much I’d eaten. This would require an extra workout tomorrow, that was for sure.
Jamie was late, but I’d expected nothing less; he wasn’t exactly the king of punctuality. It was quarter past by the time he strolled in, cast about, waved, and wandered over. I stood to greet him, and inadvertently got myself hugged. I froze as he enveloped me, and his hands slid down my back, lingering on my hips as he pulled away and grinned at me.
“Long time no see, Zo. It’s good to see you.” He squeezed my hips and I squirmed out of his hands, sitting down and pointedly gesturing to the chair opposite me.
I’d made sure Hayley sat beside me for exactly this reason. Jamie always got a bit… handsy, if I wasn’t careful. You’d think I was leading him on, but I couldn’t have made myself any clearer at how much I didn’t want him. I held in a sigh. You need him, I told myself. Put up with it.
“Hayley, Jamie. Jamie, Hayley.” I made the introductions.
“Nice to meet you, Hayley.” His eyes devoured Hayley and he smiled with a certain twinkle in his eye that I knew only too well. Annoyance panged in me. Hayley blushed, but her lips pursed with disapproval too.
Down to business – so we didn’t have to put up with any more of this. My fingers glided across my innocuous charm bracelet – loaded with magic runes. They shimmered, and a moment later, we were encased in an invisible sound-proof bubble. The noise of the outside world vanished.
Hayley gaped. I supposed this was the first time she’d seen a charm like that.
“How to have a private conversation.” I flicked her a lopsided smile.
“Wait, don’t I get to eat?” Jamie’s indignance was amusing as he stared at our empty plates.
“After. This is too important to wait.”
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “The things I do for you.”
“Hmm.” I ignored that. I explained quickly everything I knew about Pandora’s box, and what had happened to it. At the mention of Marc Nowak and MI5, his eyebrow lifted, but he listened, uncharacteristically quietly, as I explained our predicament.
He blew out, a long huff, when I finished. “Crikey,” he said after a pause. “So it’s here, in London. And we could be the start of the pandemic for whatever’s inside that… thing.”
“Exactly,” I replied quietly. I couldn’t help but look outside our bubble, at the hubbub of life that continued all around us. All those Ordinaries, and Magicai, completely unaware of the threat. “So we either need to find a way to protect it – really, truly protect it – where it is, or liberate it and return it to our care, where we can make sure it’s safe under wards. Can it be done?” I leant forward, searching him.
Jamie ruffled his hair with a hand, making it even more unkempt. His mouth pursed and his eyes glazed as they looked into the distance, seeing nothing, as his fingers drummed upon the table. Hayley sat beside me in silence, her attention flicking between us. I dared not breathe.
If anyone had a chance, surely it was Jamie. Our hands were tied; we operated inside the law… But Jamie was an expert and dancing on the fine line just outside it. There had to be something he could do, surely.
But he shook his head. “It can’t be done, Zo, I’m sorry.”
“But there-”
“I’m really sorry, Zo. Once something goes into that building—,” he meant the MI5 headquarters, “—I can’t get it out.”
“The great Jamie Atticus Oxford—,” he winced at that, “—can’t get past a bunch of Ordinaries?” I said incredulously.
“They might be Ordinaries, but their security systems are immense. That box will be buried as deep inside that building as anything can be.” He shrugged.
I slumped in my chair and shook my head. “Then we’re quite possibly completely screwed.”
Jamie nodded. His smile was more of a sympathetic grimace.
I stood and motioned Hayley to follow me. We were done here. “Thanks, Jamie. I appreciate your time anyway. If you think of anything, will you let me know?”
“Sure – off so soon? Don’t you fancy dessert?” He smirked at me in that annoying way he always did, with his lopsided grin and his eyes half lidded as they blazed with suggestiveness. He didn’t mean cake. He never meant cake.
“I’m on a diet,” I said brightly and flashed him a bland, emotionless smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “See ya.”
Hayley followed me wordlessly outside. I breathed a sigh of relief as we left and rounded the corner.
“I see what you mean,” Hayley muttered, pressing her lips together.
“Mmm. Just a shame he couldn’t help us. I think this might be it. It’s gone, and there might not be anything I can do about it.” I ran a hand through my hair, tousling it even more. “I hope Duncan isn’t too disappointed.”
~
Duncan was too professional to show his disappointment, but I knew it lurked under his calm exterior as I admitted our total lack of progress.
“I’ll keep working on it and see if I can think of something. Thanks anyway, ladies.” His smile was weak and unconvincing. “Hayley, if you can delve back into the archives. I have some research topics for you.” He rifled through a stack of papers and fished out a list to give her.
“See you,” she mouthed to me on her way out.
“Bye.” I smiled. “Thanks for your help.”
“As for you, I have another job in the pipeline.” He turned back to me. “Not quite ready yet, but it looks like something is brewing in Hungary. I might need to send you before the week is out.”
“Of course. I’m ready, just give the word.”
“Until then, clock off. You deserve a break; you’ve been working really hard lately. When was the last time you took a weekend?”
“Oh? Erm, not that long ago, I mean I’m fine, really,” I said, my eyes wandering anywhere as they tried to think of when I had last had a genuine break. Probably that one night in Mexico after finishing the case of Kukulkan’s Skull. It already felt like a lifetime ago.
“Fine, nothing.” Duncan raised an eyebrow. “You’re no good to me at all if you’re exhausted. You can’t work all the time, Zoe. Go on. Take the day off. Everything will still be waiting when you get back.” He spread his arms wide at the stacks of paperwork on his desk.
I grimaced.
He chuckled. “That’s exactly how I feel too. Let’s hope the Ordinaries can take care of Pandora’s Box.”
I groaned. I didn�
��t want to be reminded that my very existence might be wiped out at any second due to Ordinary negligence.
“That’s the spirit. See you in a couple days.”
“Bye, Dunc.”
I hoped whatever he had lined up for me in Hungary would take my mind of the potential impending apocalypse.
Chapter 3
I made it one full day of not working, and I was pretty proud, before, as per usual, work got in the way. I’d just stepped out of the shower, a deliciously hot one that pummelled my aching muscles after jujitsu training.
I don’t know what made me flick the news on, but as I towel-dried my hair, the police sirens were coming from outside my window and on the TV. I slowly lowered the towel, and my full attention flicked to the BBC News anchor.
“A representative for MI5, Marc Nowak, is due to release an official statement on the security breach at the national security headquarters in just a few moments time.”
Security breach? A tingle of apprehension wound up my spine.
“Thus far, all comments have been declined. According to eyewitness reports, a suspect has been detained.” The footage flicked to shaky, blurry, camera-phone footage showing a man on the ground surrounded by black clad, gun-wielding security staff.
“At this time, it is unclear what has happened. Terrorism is not suspected at this stage, but neither has it been discounted by the Metropolitan Police and intelligence bureaus. We have our security correspondent, Terry Smythe here to discuss today’s incident. Terry, what does this mean for Britain’s security services?”
I stopped paying attention. I didn’t care that my hair was wet and tangled, and that I was half dressed. I tugged on the first pair of pants I found, stuffed my feet into my boots, and ran, dialling Duncan as I left.
“What’s happening at MI5?” I fired at him the moment he picked up. It couldn’t be, it just couldn’t be, but I had to check.
“Pandora’s box is gone.”
My stomach plummeted. “I’m on my way.”
“Meet me at headquarters.”
It was at times like these I was glad to live so close to work. It meant I was right on scene whenever things like this happened. Not that anything with the potential this bad had ever happened, mind.
Duncan arrived moments after me, but he didn’t unlock his office. Instead, he beckoned. “Come. Change of plan. We’re going to see Marc Nowak at MI5. I want answers, and we aren’t going to find them here.”
“What’s happened?”
Duncan threw up a soundproof barrier around us as we strode. “Jamie Oxford happened,” he said through grinding teeth. “I presume he told you there was absolutely no way that Pandora’s box could be obtained?”
“Yes. No way at all.”
“Well, he pretty much strolled in and took it.”
I stopped. “He did what?”
“Like a child taking candy, pretty much.”
My jaw clenched. That lying piece of trash. “Where’s he now? What does he want with it?”
“I don’t know – I don’t know any of it. But he’s gone, and the box is gone with him.”
This was a disaster. “Would he – could he – open it?”
“If he’s smart, he won’t. He’ll know what it is. I don’t think he would. But other than some rudimentary charms, all that protects it is some flimsy Ordinary invention. Some kind of casing. I doubt it would take much to bypass that. We might be running on borrowed time here.”
I groaned. This was worse than a disaster. “I’m going to kill him when I get my hands on him.”
“Well good luck with that, because he’s vanished,” Duncan growled.
~
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About Victoria DeLuis
Visit Victoria’s website.
Victoria DeLuis is an avid fantasy reader, who enjoys writing Urban Fantasy and paranormal/cosy mysteries.
She lives in Wales with her husband, daughter, three cats and one dog.
Amongst other writings, Victoria is currently working on The Independent Necromancer's Bureau Series, and The Shifter Academy Series.
For fun flash fiction and other snippets, please check out Victoria's blog.
You can connect with Victoria on Facebook or Twitter.
~
About Meg Cowley
Visit Meg’s website.
Meg is a fantasy author and illustrator who loves all things dragons and magic.
She lives in Yorkshire, England with her husband and two cats Jet and Pixie.
Amongst other writing & illustration projects, Meg is currently working on her Morgana Chronicles series.
For writing snippets and to see behind the scenes, visit her blog.
You can connect with Meg on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Published in 2017 by
Jolly Creative Atelier
United Kingdom
© 2017 Meg Cowley & Victoria DeLuis
www.megcowley.com
www.victoriadeluis.com
Cover design © Meg Cowley 2017
All characters, places and events are fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places or events is purely coincidental.
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored or distributed in any form, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Hidden Magic: A Ley Line World Urban Fantasy Adventure (Relic Guardians Book 2) Page 9