by Sonya Clark
“What is?”
He pulled her into a tight embrace. “Safe travels, sojourner.”
Tuyet choked back sudden tears. “Blessed be, Vadim.”
He slipped away toward the west at a fast walk. Jason waited at his spot in the north section of the city. Now it was time for Tuyet to take up the east position, at TMG. She slipped on the hastily made glamour charm and sent a tendril of energy into it.
Channing had never been one to get along with colleagues. That worked in Tuyet’s favor as she badged into the TMG building—that and the early morning hour. Few people were about, mostly janitors and other guards at their stations. Tuyet knew Channing had a desk in the basement cubicle farm for security. She had no idea whether he spent his shift manning a security station or walking a circuit. Hopefully clues at his desk would tell her. She followed a route memorized from the building’s floor plans. With every step that took her closer to her goal, her heart pounded harder. She worked to keep her breathing even and calm, her gait long and loose, as close to Channing’s as possible.
* * *
Hayes stood to one side as Nate handed out glamour charms. They were in the back of a boarded-up factory in the nearly deserted section of the city called Southside. People were streaming in from all over—mostly Rock but other areas too. A group of witches huddled in an office, the walls long since torn down, creating more glamours. The work would continue right up until go time. The line for charms was orderly despite the palpable nervous tension in the air and the presence of weapons. Mostly baseball bats, though a few people had stun guns strapped to their bodies. Hayes swallowed his unease at the possibility of more violence. Not that it was a possibility, more like a certainty. As soon as this group hit the streets, they would be a target.
Spotting Lizzie sitting cross-legged alone on a patch of scarred floor, Hayes weaved through the crowd and knelt beside her. “How are you?”
Her eyes were closed, long red hair kept out of her way in a braid. “I can feel it already.”
“The city’s magic?”
She nodded. “I’ve felt it before. Mostly in FreakTown so it feels different from this.”
“How so?”
“This feels more chaotic. Unstable. Potentially dangerous, like it could build up to be too much and explode.” Lizzie opened her eyes. The corners of her mouth tipped upward. “I simply can’t imagine what that’s like.”
Hayes didn’t know much about her, but he could hear the sarcasm loud and clear. “This can work without you directing the energy. All they have to do is draw on it.”
“But if I can direct it, or even better shape it into something truly useful, then it could be even stronger.”
“If you can do it, then do it. If not, Nate will get you back home as fast as possible.” Hayes hadn’t liked asking Lizzie to take part in the plan, but if her empathic abilities could influence the city’s magic, this could be a slam dunk. Provided a thousand other things didn’t go wrong, of course. She was a civilian with a new baby at home who needed her. They should have left her in FreakTown, but the truth was they needed her too. Channeling the city’s energy would be too much for one witch, possibly too much for four. If Lizzie could help manage that energy, shape it into something they could work with, it could make all the difference.
So Hayes had asked her to be a part of it because he’d been taught to use every resource possible when your team’s back was against the wall. Lizzie had said yes without hesitation, and then answered everyone’s unspoken question. “Dani will be taught to fight for what’s right.”
“Can you really ground me if things get out of hand?”
He thought back to the moment he’d done that for Tuyet. “I should be able to, yes.”
Lizzie raised an elegant eyebrow. “Should?”
“I’ve done it once. I’ll do everything in my power to do it again if you need help.”
She regarded him with a cool gaze. “Vadim never has to know this, but if you need to hit me, do it.”
Hayes grimaced, a knot of disgust rising in his stomach. “I can’t do that.”
“Tuyet told you about my issues with grounding and controlling my magic.” It wasn’t a question so he simply nodded. “I don’t want to blow this chance just because we were both squeamish. So man up, Captain Cream Puff, and do whatever this job takes.”
A grin sprang to his face. “Are you trying to goad me into hitting you right now? Because it won’t work.”
Lizzie turned her frosty gaze to the floor. “I simply thought it might be easier for you if you don’t like me.”
“Too late.” He leaned over and lightly kissed her cheek. “I have a weakness for difficult women.”
He was about to stand when she caught his hand. “Sit with me.”
He did as requested. For several minutes they both watched the crowd of people as it grew. The hum of nervous conversation became steadily louder. The sound of singing drifted through the mélange, the singers hidden by the mass of people. Hayes focused on the music, taking measured breaths to keep himself calm.
“Are you scared?”
It took a moment for him to realize it was Lizzie who’d spoken. “Yes.”
“Is it like when you were with the Rangers? Did you get scared like this before a mission?”
“No, this is different.” If Tuyet was caught, if he was caught...the rest of their lives depended on at least partial success of this mission. If they failed in their objective to upload the video virus, they still had to get out of the city without being apprehended. The chaos of the imminent demonstration would help provide cover for that, but that didn’t make him feel any better about it. “If this goes bad, Snow and I might not make it out.” They’d faced danger before, but this time more than their lives was at stake. A life together—that was the prize. Losing that would mean losing everything.
“If this goes badly, I may never see Vadya again.”
Hayes took Lizzie’s hand. “Good thing my plan is foolproof.”
Nervous laughter bubbled out of both of them. Neither one was fooled by it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It took time and care but Tuyet managed to find Channing’s desk without having to talk to anyone. The cubicle was little more than a place to fill out reports. There were obvious signs that he shared the space with security guards who worked other shifts. His only personal effect was a small digital image of himself in uniform with an older couple she assumed were his parents. She didn’t know much about his life, but she did know he’d done well in the military until joining the Rangers. Once there, he’d never meshed well with the rest of the team. Gibson tolerated him partly because it was her job, partly because it was the kind of person she was. Hayes did his best to maintain an icy professionalism once it became apparent there’d be no removing him from the squad.
Tuyet felt no temptation to feel sorry for him and his solitary existence. No one had forced him to do the things he’d done. Providing support for a witch team member while they were trancehacking was an integral part of any mission. Channing had failed at that by choice and it had put Halif in a coma. Even if that could somehow be chalked up to an error in judgment, the subway bombing was deliberate. Of those twenty-nine dead the night of the last riot, twenty-one of them had drowned when the tunnel flooded.
Tuyet sat to take a closer survey of the desk. A docked tablet and thin detachable keyboard were the only visible items. Drawers on the side of the desk were locked. Another thing she recalled about Channing: he had a lousy memory for details. She placed her palm over the lock on the drawer labeled with his name and pushed her will into the mechanism. It popped open.
Gum, a small amount of cash, a set of wireless earbuds, two pens and a blank pad of sticky notes. She peered closer, examining the sides of the drawer. Stuck to the inside front, just under the lock, w
as a note.
Bingo. Scribbled in Channing’s uneven handwriting was a series of random letters, numbers and punctuation marks. He’d done a terrific job of selecting a password with a high level of difficulty, but that lousy memory of his had tripped him up.
Tuyet booted up the tablet and logged in. Channing’s work schedule and circuit for the week was the first thing she found. Good. She called up a map of the building and studied the layout. With so much time between now and dawn, she would have to stick as close to his routine as possible.
She checked a few other things before putting the tablet in sleep mode, then grabbed the pack of gum, locked the drawer, and left. Time to go play security guard.
* * *
An hour before dawn, the Southside factory was packed wall-to-wall with people. Hayes stood with Lizzie, Nate on her other side. An elder from FreakTown stood on the remains of an old desk, her hands in the air and her eyes closed.
“May the Goddess protect us. May the Goddess walk side by side with us. May the Goddess hear our pleas for freedom, for our children.” She spoke the prayer slowly, the words weighted with intent. Energy rippled through the gathering, akin to the sharp taste and scent in the air before a lightning storm.
“May we succeed in making our voices heard. May we greet the dawn with courage.”
Many of the people in this crowd would be injured, Hayes knew. Some would not make it home. New Corinth had been pushed to this moment. He understood that on an intellectual level, but he didn’t have to like it.
“Through fire and earth and air and water, we draw strength.” The elder paused for a long moment. When she resumed speaking, her voice was a fraction louder. Stronger. “Through neon and concrete and electricity and our very selves, we draw strength.”
Hayes snapped his eyes up then around. A murmur rose from the crowd—confusion, shock and here and there pride.
“May we stand together, Normal and Magic Born. United.” The timbre of her voice changed again, grew heavy with emotion. “This is our city too. At dawn they’ll know it.”
The murmur became a rumble. Lizzie squeezed his hand. Hayes glanced over to see her doing the same to Nate.
“With love and light we march together. May we give each other strength to face this dawn. Blessed be!”
A chorus of “Blessed be!” and other declarations filled the huge space, along with foot-stomping, hand-clapping, chanting. Nate pushed through the crowd to the front and spoke to the elder and a handful of others. Hayes stepped closer to Lizzie, his brows coming together as he watched her face.
If even he could feel a hint of the magic in the air, what must she be feeling?
“Lizzie?”
She rubbed her face and shook slightly. “It’s okay. I can handle this.”
That was good, but the protest hadn’t even started yet. Hayes kept his mouth shut and gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile.
* * *
Tuyet returned to the basement security office. She locked the door behind her, adding a layer of magical warding for added protection. While the tablet woke up, she took out the tiny earpiece in her pocket that would allow her to hear Hayes and put it in place. She trancehacked in, the familiar blue-white of cyberspace a soothing balm to her nerves.
The others all carried the contraband phones smuggled in by Silver Wheels, to aid in what would likely be the most intense trancehacking of their lives. Her first message went to Vadim, who held down the west position of their circle. “You there, comrade?”
“Yes,” he answered immediately. “Let’s get this party started.”
Tuyet smiled. “Calla?”
“You bet.”
“Jason?”
“Oh, my God, I’m so glad the wait is almost over. My ass hurts from sitting here half the night.”
Calla’s laughter bubbled through the chat room.
Tuyet held her breath for a moment. “Silver Wheels, are you there?”
The mirrorball-helmet avatar entered the chat. “Locked and loaded, Caron.”
She’d never had a chance to have that talk with Hayes. Too late now. She sent a message to his phone, hoping their hastily put together patch to include him worked.
* * *
Hayes started as a buzzing began in his ear. He pressed his finger to the earpiece, not that that would help. “Snow?”
Nate climbed onto the desk that moments ago had been occupied by the elder. “All right, listen up!” He clapped his hands several times and whistled.
The din calmed. “Does everybody have a glamour? If we missed anybody, now’s the time to speak up.”
A few people raised their hands and were directed to a spot at the far wall behind the desk, where the witches who’d been crafting the glamours were gathered.
The earpiece crackled again. “Snow, can you hear me?”
Lizzie said, “Is it not working?”
“All I’m getting right now is static,” Hayes shook his head. “We should have stuck with actual texting.”
Nate rattled off a series of instructions that would likely not be followed. Some of these people just wanted to march and shout, but not all. Not by a long shot.
“—trying to calibrate it but it’s a little wonky with so many people on our little intranet here. Just hold on a minute.” Tuyet’s voice snapped and popped in his ear, the volume bouncing painfully.
“Copy that.” Hayes nodded at Lizzie. “It’s working now, sort of. They’re calibrating it.”
“I just hope they don’t calibrate you into a busted eardrum.”
Hayes frowned. That hadn’t occurred to him. He hated last-minute missions and the clusterfuck they inevitably created.
“Okay, how about now?” Tuyet was a sweet whisper in his ear, as perfect and clear as if she leaned against him.
“Good, that’s good.” He grinned. “So, can everyone hear me?”
“Yes,” Vadim said. “So please do us all a favor and save the dirty talk for later.”
“You’re no fun, Vadim.” That was Calla.
“Not today, I’m not. How’s my lady, Hayes?”
Hayes glanced at Lizzie, who appeared outwardly calm. Except for her eyes, which were a little wider than normal, and darker than they’d been an hour ago. “She’s good. Ready to do this.”
Calla said, “What’s Nate doing?”
“Giving orders.” Hayes waved his arm to get Nate’s attention. The other man met his gaze and raised his eyebrows. “How soon?”
Tuyet answered. “Silver Wheels is closing the circle right now.”
Hayes swallowed the question on his tongue. “Give me a countdown.”
“Five.”
Hayes raised his hand, fingers spread.
Nate yelled, “Okay, this is it. Wheels up in five!”
“Four.”
Hayes lowered his thumb and Nate shouted the number.
“Three.”
Adrenaline surged through his body. He stood on the balls of his feet, swaying slightly.
“Two.”
Shouts came from the crowd but he couldn’t make out the words. Lizzie trembled. The tail of her braid lifted for several seconds. Hayes gaped but she didn’t seem to notice.
“One.”
“It’s go time, Hayseed,” said a familiar, masculine voice, one he’d thought he’d never hear again. The last pieces of the puzzle Hayes had been putting together fell into place with the sound of that voice—Silver Wheels was Halif Osman. Hayes had no time to react or let the enormity of the revelation process. Halif said, “Wheels up!”
Nate shouted, “Wheels up!”
Across the massive factory floor, people from all over New Corinth—all ages and races, Normal and Magic Born, from every neighborhood in the city, all types of
jobs and educations and economic backgrounds—activated their glamours. A sea of mirrorball helmets flashed brilliant color in the rundown, grungy space.
The wide shipping-bay doors opened and the first of the protesters stepped outside. It was go time.
Dawn broke over New Corinth.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tuyet tested the first layers of security, finding them fairly simple to beat. She didn’t do anything more than look around yet. They would need to punch through the firewall in one massive rush of power, so there was no point to pressing the issue too early and setting off alarms.
That would happen soon enough.
Vadim broke the nervous silence. “I can feel the energy levels increasing. It’s a bit like an esbat night in Sinsuality, only more chaotic.”
“I wish they hadn’t picked daybreak for this,” Calla said. “I won’t get much by drawing on neon at this time of day.”
Tuyet said, “You’ll get enough, and you can help the others. Jason, how are you doing?”
“This is amazing. I’ve never focused on concrete and steel like this. It’s not only incredibly strong, it’s steady. Solid.” He laughed. “You guys gave me the easy one.”
“Silver Wheels?”
“Police frequencies are starting to get busy. They noticed as soon as I knocked the CCTV cameras offline.”
“What’s the status of those cameras?”
“Still offline. They’ll need a witch to untangle the hex I put on that system, and as far as I know, NCPD doesn’t have one.”
The official start of the business day was yet to come but Tuyet already saw an uptick in traffic in TMG’s intranet. “What about eyes on the ground? Have they been spotted by patrol cars yet?”
It took a moment for Silver Wheels to answer. “They’re about to reach Midtown. Patrols have radioed in.” His avatar ran through shades of orange and pink. “They’re really caught flat-footed by this. I don’t know whose idea it was to come in from Southside instead of Rockenbach, but it’s working out great.”
“That was Duane Mendoza,” Tuyet said.
The protesters would soon be meeting the earliest of rush-hour traffic. That was the only part of the route she didn’t like, crossing the belt of highways that served as the demarcation between Midtown and the poorer, rougher sections of the city. The group had backup plans to take surface streets if the highways were deemed impassable, but that would likely mean splitting the mass of people. That would, in turn, give authorities a better chance at running them down.