by TR Cameron
Idryll's nostrils flared as if she smelled them as well as saw them. “Or real ones, maybe. The way they move isn’t all false confidence.”
“Think we should follow?”
“Definitely.”
As they traveled along the rooftops, hidden under veils and keeping a close eye on their quarry, Morrigan asked, “Do you think we need to worry about the thing in Ruby’s arm?” She’d done some research on artifacts but hadn’t come up with much useful information about coping with having one.
Idryll's tone was an answer in itself. “Absolutely. Everything I’ve ever heard about those things says they’re trouble.”
Morrigan's thoughts shifted back into the moment as the duo below met up with another pair, their numbers redoubling shortly thereafter. “Okay, this is starting to look like an actual gang. What do you think those chuckleheads are up to?” The men continued to move with seeming purpose, headed away from the Strip and into the lower rent businesses at the edge of town.
Idryll replied, “Predators.”
Morrigan nodded. “Yeah, my thought too. What are they hunting?”
“Anything that comes across their path, probably.”
She moved faster, hoping to spot any potential victims before the gang could take action. Morrigan tensed as the group passed a small gaggle of tourists who were making their way from club to club, brave ones who had ventured off the Strip. Although, I guess being on the Strip these days is itself kind of an act of bravery. We definitely do need to change things back.
Idryll hissed. “Trouble.”
The gang members had turned into an alley, and a single individual occupied that narrow lane. From the perspective of her lofty perch, Morrigan saw white hair and dark skin, the frequent telltales of a Drow elf. She’d extended her bow when the gang’s numbers grew and now pulled an arrow from her quiver and set it loosely to the string. “That doesn’t look promising. I’ll hit the ones in the back. Then we’ll go after the ones in the front.
The tiger-woman sounded eager to mix it up. “Got it.”
The gang neared the figure, which slowed to a stop. The human in the lead called, “Hey, pointy. Kind of late for you to be out all by yourself, isn’t it?”
His tone didn’t quite promise violence other than the verbal kind. Morrigan drew and aimed at the wall opposite, in the space between the last two ranks of two. The Dark Elf’s answer filtered up, soft but calm. “There’s no need for trouble. You can step aside and let me continue on my way.”
The group laughed and stopped moving. Their mouthpiece said, “You want us to press up against the sides, and you’ll walk through the middle? Is that it?”
“That would be acceptable.”
“I have a better idea. How about you turn around and go back the way you came.” Murmurs of support rose from behind him.
An inappropriate level of confusion entered the Drow male’s voice, suggesting he played with the humans in the alley. “Then how would I get where I’m going?”
The human gave an expansive shrug. “Not my concern. Now move, or we’re coming through you.”
The gang didn’t wait for him to comply. The front rank surged forward, and Morrigan released her arrow an instant later. In her peripheral vision, Idryll leapt from the building, headed for the space between the first and second ranks. Below, the supposed victim moved quickly, and the glint of moonlight on metal shone in his hands. Morrigan cursed and reached back for another arrow, realizing the situation was about to spiral out of control.
Three stories was an easy drop for Idryll, not even requiring a roll to dissipate her momentum. She landed in a crouch and immediately whipped her foot around in a sweep kick, aiming for the gang members nearest the Drow. Her foot connected with the heel of one, sending him stumbling against the wall to his left but missed the other. The Drow taking responsibility for his defense informed her next move, which was to turn toward the second rank with a mocking grin.
The one nearest, on her right, threw himself forward with his arms stretched wide to tackle her, trying to use his greater bulk to his advantage in the narrow space. She could’ve stabbed him with her claws easily, raking his flesh from throat to stomach in the time it would take him to close, but leaving bodies on the streets was not a good plan. Or so Ruby keeps saying. She met him with a kick instead, her knee coming up to her chest and her foot pistoning out. The blow caught him in the sternum, and he coughed and sagged against the wall to her right, unable to breathe.
The other one used her focus on the first to whip a chain at her head, and Idryll crouched to avoid it. That enemy had stepped back into an acceptable fighting stance, and she grinned. “Oh, you fancy yourself a fighter, then? Let’s see what you’ve got.”
The initial arrow she’d sent was the sonic one she’d last used on the Strip. It dropped the two rearmost immediately. The other two staggered forward, outside the range of the assault on their inner ears. Dammit, I need to talk to Kayleigh about making that more powerful. Her fingers found the explosive arrow, then she reconsidered and selected the knockout gas. She hadn’t chosen that at the start out of concern for the Drow, but given the escalation, figured that if everyone in the alley succumbed, she could still clean them up and help the victim later. Idryll's mask would protect her for long enough to finish things. She loosed the arrow, and it sped toward the middle of the group.
When it struck, the clouds billowed out, and another gang member fell. The gas flowed suddenly away as if someone had cast a spell to dissipate it. What the hell? She selected a lightning arrow and fired at the chest of the next rearmost. The magic exploded on impact and dropped him to the ground, jerking and writhing. Then things were too close so she hit the button to retract her bow and leapt for the alley floor.
Idryll leaned aside to dodge the slash of the chain, which was far heavier than it had first appeared, and stepped back to avoid the backhand follow-up. She darted in and punched, but the man brought his left arm across in a quick block. His left foot licked out, and she twisted so it caught her on the thigh rather than the knee, staying close to nullify the chain. He hammered his right hand at her head, and she blocked the strike easily. The chain whipped around to smack her in the back but lacked force due to her proximity, rendering it nothing more than a nuisance.
His face twisted in anger, and he snapped his head forward, going for a headbutt. She had no way to avoid it completely, so she lowered her chin, taking the blow above her forehead. The impact momentarily dazed them both, but she was quicker to recover. A punch with her left, another with her right, and a kick through the space that the strikes opened sent the man flying backward into another near him. At the sound of choking and gurgling behind her, she turned to discover the Drow had stabbed the one she’d tripped in the neck, and the wounded man was slumped on the ground, his hands clasped over the bleeding hole. An equally fatal strike took out the other one in the front rank, a wicked spin kick snapping his neck with a loud crack. She shouted, “Stop, it’s under control.”
Morrigan landed and was momentarily distracted by Idryll's exclamation. She laid about with fists and elbows, taking down the remaining humans in a rush from behind. When they were all down, dazed or unconscious, she stepped beside her partner to face the Drow. “Why did you kill them?”
The Dark Elf’s face was sharp-boned and handsome, a little longer than average. She couldn’t help but think his lips were pretty, but the words that came out of them were definitely not. “They earned their fate. This is our city, and humans have no right to attempt to exert their will upon us here.”
Idryll shook her head. “And yet, simply injuring them would have sufficed.” She gestured at the surviving gang members.
The elf flicked the black metal blades to clear the blood from them and slid them into sheaths on either hip. “That sort of thinking solves nothing. It only perpetuates the problem. My way, you see, eliminates the problem.”
Morrigan rested her hands on her dagger hilts. “Until their
friends come along to take revenge.”
He shrugged. “Then I will kill their friends.”
She sighed and shook her head. “And when their friends arrive?”
“They, too, shall die.”
Morrigan answered, “We can’t allow that.”
Idryll confirmed, “We cannot.”
He gave them a lazy smile. “Pick a side, strangers. If you choose the one opposite me, know that you will receive the same treatment as the humans.” The thought of trying to capture the Drow had barely entered her mind when the man waved, and a wall of smoke appeared between them. She charged through, but when she got to the other side, he was gone. “Damn. That’s not good.”
Idryll stepped beside her. “You did say you wanted change.”
“Yeah, but not to make it worse.” She shook her head. “Ruby’s going to blame this on me. I know it.”
Chapter Seven
Jared Trenton scowled as the coffee overflowed the side of the cup and scalded his hand. “Ow, damn.” He laughed. “If that isn’t a metaphor for the current situation, being in hot water and getting burned, I don’t know what is.” He finished extending the drink to his partner without spilling it further.
Grentham, dressed as always in all-black and wearing an expression to match, nodded and took it carefully from him. “Right? Things are definitely topsy-turvy nowadays.”
The quiet room at Aces Security was state-of-the-art but decidedly light on creature comforts. Two plastic chairs, a metal table, and white surfaces all around. They’d built it as a floating chamber, with none of the internal structure directly touching the outer except through a layer of signal- and sound-absorbing panels. They’d tested it extensively, and no microphone they had access to could pick anything up from beyond its walls. It was okay to bring their phones inside since the room eliminated those signals as well. They’d also warded it against magical detection. Jared fell into the chair with a sigh. “How about the new one?”
His partner nodded. “Yeah, that Thompson is tough. She’s more than a match for Smith, I’d say.”
The additional representative from their boss’s wife—now the new boss, I guess—had shown up with the more familiar one to lay down the law. Jared asked, “So if our goal is now to ‘move aggressively to acquire or take out the other companies,’ where should we start?” He emphasized the word aggressive, just like Thompson had during their interview.
Grentham snorted. “Well, some news from the Council meeting last night might influence that decision a bit. Apparently, Worldspan Security is setting up shop in town. All magicals, so they already have an inside track. Bloody Elnyier and her Drow contacts.”
“You have a thing against the Drow, don’t you?”
His partner shrugged. “On a personal level, they’re generally no better or worse than anyone else. They seem to utilize their network a lot more effectively than any of the other immigrants from Oriceran. Most have their hands in trade of one kind or another, and they’ve spread out to pretty much everywhere. Smart move, really. I wish my people had been that clever.”
“I know this is only a human’s opinion, but it seems like the Drow tend to be more loners than other magicals.”
“That’s my perception as well. However, since I’m not a Drow, who the hell knows? Anyway, their entry onto the playing field has to be our first concern, and maybe our second and third, too.”
Jared sipped his coffee for several moments, thinking through the potential plays. “It’ll be difficult to take them out with the people we have at hand.”
“I agree. We should make a peaceful overture. A partnership or a buyout would be the best options. We still have the gems we didn’t commit to the trap to sell if we need quick cash.” He gestured toward the small container in the corner. The diamonds lived in the secure room, as they both thought that the magicals might have some way to track them. “If we have to go with a less peace-loving option, I can get some people together.”
Jared decided it was time to bring everything out into the light. “From your side gig, you mean.”
Grentham nodded. “Yeah. They’re trustworthy, which is the most important thing. Not the sharpest tools in the kit, but that’s okay. With the right leadership from our regulars, they’ll be able to get the job done, or at least harry the defense enough that our people can make it happen. We should probably lay in a bunch of anti-magic bullets.”
Jared winced but nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see what the black market in Vegas has to offer.” Their official supply would have had no recent reason to be diminished, so they couldn’t visibly add to it. Jared wasn’t positive the government kept an eye on such things, but he also wasn’t convinced they didn’t, and it was better to maintain a low profile wherever possible. He chuckled. “Think the Drow network could hook me up with that?”
Grentham scowled. “I doubt it. They’re too busy collecting the best artifacts and magical items.”
“Still raw about the thing with Goryo?”
His partner gave a single sharp nod. “That bastard Sloane had to go and die before he could even pay me for the artifact, which is now lost forever.”
“Or at least until we kill the person it’s bonded to.”
“Since we don’t know who they are, that doesn’t seem particularly likely right at the moment. Still, I’m always open to opportunities as they come up.”
He laughed. “Okay, then. Any reason to wait, or should we go have a visit with the new team in town?”
Grentham grinned. “Let me grab some supplies from the equipment room, then yeah, I think we should give them an appropriate welcome to Magic City.”
Worldspan had rented out an overly large office building in a complex nearby. It was a guarded community, unlike their own, with a single entrance and exit commanded by a guard post. As he piloted the SUV up to the shack and rolled down the window, Jared muttered, “Rent-a-cop is human.” He raised his voice and said, “Hi, Jared Trenton, Aces Security. Here to see Angelina Prash.”
The guard nodded. “You’re on the list. Go on through. First building on your right.”
As if I didn’t already know that. He plastered a fake smile on his face. “Thanks, buddy.” When the window closed, he observed, “Pistol and taser. Assault rifle on the wall. Computer terminal.”
Grentham peered down at his phone, entering information. “Got all that except for the rifle. I’ll need to reach out and get someone to check the cybersecurity. I know we have people, but the infomancer Goryo used seemed really sharp.”
“Agreed. Time to outsource.”
His partner snapped pictures with his phone as they drove toward the site, reconnaissance in case they had to go with the harder option. When they arrived, both men dropped their phones into the secure signal-blocking compartment in the armrest, and Jared activated the vehicle’s security when they stepped out. The protection it gave the stuff inside the car was impressive, but even better was the 360-degree surveillance from tiny cameras mounted around the car. The feed was immediately linked back to their base, so if anyone did mess with the vehicle, they’d know about it.
A short sidewalk led to the lobby, which was impersonal and industrial. A semicircular desk enclosed two guards, both standing with hands out of sight but arms bent in such a way that they were probably near weapons. The pair of elves nodded at their entrance after buzzing them in. The dark-haired one on the left said, “Mr. Trenton, Mr. Grentham, welcome. An escort will be with you shortly.” He inclined his head toward a set of couches set at right angles around a coffee table in the corner.
Jared nodded and sauntered in the indicated direction. He kept his eyes forward, but his expansive gaze took in the obvious defenses. Security cameras, a metal detector at least, set into the doorway that led from the lobby. Only one entry into the room from the outside, and only the one visible exit leading farther into the building. They didn’t have time to sit before a Kilomea, muscular even for its kind, came through the door from
the interior. He was tall enough that his hair brushed against the doorframe top. “Gentlemen,” he rumbled, “come this way.”
They followed him obediently into the building’s interior but only had a short walk to a conference room. Smart, not letting anyone too far inside. The place smelled new, looked mostly unused, and additional signs of recent occupation were apparent in the crates stacked in offices visible through corporate glass walls. The conference room was also surrounded by a transparent border, revealing an oval table big enough to seat ten or twelve. Only one person was present, a Wood Elf female, reclining in an expensive-looking chair with her feet up on the table. Thin blonde-brown braids reached toward the floor from her reclined position. Her clothes weren’t in the least formal: all leather, black pants, and a red tank top-like thing that left her muscular arms bare.
As they stepped into the room, she swept her calf-high boots down and rose to greet them, extending a hand. “Hello, gentlemen. I wondered which of the local companies would be the first to grace our halls. I’m Angelina, principal of this office of Worldspan Security.”
They shook hands in turn, introducing themselves, and moved toward the nearest seats when she gestured for them to do so. Hilts of knives were in easy reach on each of her hips, and a pistol rode in a drop holster on her right leg, the tie-down strap reassuringly in place. Even so, if she’s anywhere near as competent as she looks, she could shoot us as fast as breathing. The woman’s face was beautiful in the ethereal way that many elves’ were, but the perfection was interrupted by a thin scar that ran along a cheekbone. He found it increased her attractiveness rather than the opposite. She said, “Let’s not waste one another’s time. What is it you want?”