A Hunt in Magic City (Magic City Chronicles Book 5)

by TR Cameron

  Jared shrugged. “As you wish. We’re open to creating a partnership with you here in Ely.”

  A thin smile appeared. “We’re always willing to consider subcontractors if they meet our highly exacting standards.”

  Grentham laughed, and it sounded genuine. “Not quite the arrangement we had in mind. More the other way around. You’re new here, so you probably don’t understand how things work.”

  She echoed him, and it, too, sounded unfeigned. “We’ve done our research, gentlemen. We’re aware of your position and equally aware of the existing firms’ collective inability to protect the casinos and their owners. That’s why we were asked to come here, to supply what you so clearly lack. I’m afraid you’ve made the trip for nothing. We’re not interested in alliance or partnership. Let’s consider ourselves professional colleagues who stay out of each other’s way, and all will be well.”

  The dwarf bristled. “And if that’s not adequate to our needs?”

  She shrugged. “Let the competition begin. We’ve outlasted any number of other companies during our rise, and yours would be barely a footnote on that list. By all means, do your best to steal our clients, and we’ll do our best to steal yours. At the end of the day, I’m completely confident in the outcome of that game. Can you say the same?”

  Jared shook his head and rose. “Well, enough said, I guess. Thanks for your time. It’s good to put a face to a name, at least. Your reputation precedes you.” They had done their research, and the woman across from them was one of the company's founding members. For her to take over the Ely operation in person showed how serious Worldspan was about their expansion.

  Prash leaned back, returned her feet to the table, and nodded. “Same in reverse. I wish you luck, gentlemen. The more you get in our way, the more you’re going to need it.”

  The Kilomea arrived to escort them out. When they had left the office complex in the rearview, Jared asked, “Did you leave the bugs behind?”

  Grentham laughed. “Everywhere we visited. When we activate them tonight, we should get some useful intel.” The devices were crawlers, super small and capable of only three things: concealment, locomotion, and sending audio and video signals. Quality was an issue, but they had been meticulously engineered to encode in a way that reduced transmission bandwidth as long as one had the proper decoder on the far end. “When the time comes, we’ll be ready. Then we’ll see who needs luck and who doesn’t.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ruby and Demetrius stepped through the portal Daphne created to take them to Vegas. The witch madly grinned as Ruby turned to thank her, and she rolled her eyes. “Thanks, appreciate the help.”

  “You kids have fun.” The other woman’s voice was full of amusement. In truth, Ruby had possessed no idea how bubbly and happy her lab partner could get before setting her up with the gig at Spirits. She found the freedom to research deeply enjoyable, and happiness oozed from her.

  Ruby turned to Demetrius with a sigh as the rift closed. “Well, at least she’s happy, right?”

  He laughed. “Absolutely.” Her boyfriend looked downright delicious in a dark suit and open-collared button-down shirt, and while she always found him attractive, she had been more than impressed to see how well he cleaned up.

  She was in a sapphire and silver dress with actual heels. Low heels, since they were more practical and she wasn’t as agile on any over three inches high, but heels nonetheless. Their magical transport had deposited them a couple of blocks away from their destination, and they strolled toward it, small talk filling the time comfortably. It was their first real date, and Ruby had called in every favor she was owed to make it special and promised a few more. Maybe I can overwhelm him with so much impressive stuff he won’t notice my broken brain. Even the voices in her head were quiet at the moment though, something for which she was deeply grateful.

  They stepped onto the Strip and headed for the nearest casino. It was home to the hottest new restaurant in town—a Drow-owned establishment called Midnight. It was impossible to get a reservation, and the line of hopefuls praying for a cancellation was twenty deep outside the place. She walked up to the black-robed, white-haired Dark Elf at the entrance and said, “Achera, for two.”

  The hostess nodded and gave her a bright smile. “Right this way.” The restaurant's interior was done up like a night sky, with only enough illumination to avoid tripping over things. Each table was a star, courtesy of a small glowing prism set as a centerpiece. Their arrangement had no apparent logic unless you understood the magic incorporated in the design. She sensed the spells at work and didn’t doubt that even mundane humans would notice something.

  The result was an atmosphere of anticipation, with a hint of potential danger in the darkness. Only enough to make it a unique experience, she figured. They entered the kitchen, which was as bright as the outer area had been dark. The chef’s table was in a corner, behind a transparent panel that allowed its occupants to watch everything while providing sufficient quiet that they would feel more or less alone. As they sat, glasses of champagne appeared at the table in the hands of the head chef. He smiled. “Ruby, so wonderful to see you.”

  She stood, took the drinks, and wrapped him in a hug. “Same to you, Merten.” Demetrius had also risen, and she introduced him. “Demetrius is my boyfriend. Merten is an old friend of Margrave’s.”

  The Dark Elf nodded. “Phineas helped with the prisms outside. When he asked if we could find an opening for you, it was of course my pleasure to do so. Now, relax, and you’ll get to try a little of almost everything on the menu.”

  They sat, and Ruby explained, “The chef’s table here basically involves getting a bit of whatever is cooked tonight in the restaurant. So, it’s a completely different experience every time you come, or so I’ve heard. I’ve never been here.” She was excited about the meal and more excited to be sharing it with her boyfriend. “A few things are guaranteed, even if they don’t get ordered. Including the whole dessert menu, if we so desire.”

  Demetrius laughed. “I always wanted to marry rich. I could get used to this.”

  She shook her head. “First, I’m not used to this kind of living, so maybe don’t count your chickens on that one. Also, it’s a little early to be talking about marriage, don’t you think?”

  He sipped his champagne and shrugged. “If the food is as good as this drink, no, it’s really not.” They laughed together. Totally not ready to tie the knot, but I like that you’re considering it, even jokingly.

  The first course arrived, a scallop for each of them presented with a delicious sauce on a teardrop-shaped plate. They sampled it, and her eyes rolled from pleasure. “Okay, maybe I could get used to this.”

  They tried several more dishes, then Demetrius said, “You know, I was wondering. Is it hard for you to keep up the disguise?”

  She patted her lips with a napkin and took a sip of the red wine that had appeared with the third appetizer. “Honestly, no. I’ve been doing it for so long that it’s automatic. I rarely think about it unless there’s something nearby that might cause it to fail.”

  He nodded. “I’ve noticed you don’t even let it go when you’re, uh, distracted.” A little thrill shot through her belly at the thought of his distractions. He was very good at them. “But, you know, I’d like to see you for real.”

  She lifted an eyebrow, and half-teasing, countered, “This is real.”

  He chuckled. “Okay, for fake then. Whatever. Your other form.”

  “Not here, but sure, sometime soon we can do that.”

  He replied, “Speaking of the future, what do you think will happen to Magic City after all the recent unpleasantness?”

  She shrugged. “The town’s faced challenges before, and doubtless we’ll face them again. Overall, it’s a few bumps in the road, I imagine.”

  “Pretty big bumps.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, that’s fair to say. I mean, the Council has plans, and they’re more or less united, so I don’t
think there’s a huge risk of the place falling apart. Obviously, security everywhere will have to be tighter.”

  He scowled. “I saw all the drones flying around last time I was on the Strip. Kind of breaks the mood a little.”

  “I’m working on a version of my drone with improved camouflage. Maybe I can sell them to Magic City.”

  “Sounds right.” Their conversation paused for the delivery of a small salad for them to share featuring greens, cheese, fruit, and nuts. “So, do you think you’ll stay?”

  Ruby nodded. “I do. At first, I thought I’d only be home for a while. Still, I like it, and I feel as if I belong here. Well, there.”

  He lowered his voice and put his hand up to his mouth nonchalantly so that no one in the kitchen could read his lips. “Are you being careful enough to make that a long-term thing?”

  The subject of her actions as Magic City’s defender didn’t come up that often, by some unspoken agreement, and it felt weird to hear the question. “I hope so. After all, knowing that you clean up this well, I need to stick around for more dates. Not to mention that now you owe me one.”

  The rest of the meal passed in a blur of gastronomic delight. The main courses started with lobster in a sweet sauce that seemed like it shouldn’t work but did. After that, a cut of beef from Japan was literally melt-in-the-mouth tender. More, each item was unique and deeply enjoyable. The culinary barrage finished with six different kinds of cakes, three for each of them, and coffees flavored with a syrup from Oriceran, a taste that hadn’t yet come to Earth in any other way.

  When they were well and truly stuffed, Merten gave them a kitchen tour and instruction on what all the stations did. Afterward, they headed for the exit. Halfway there, she turned him toward the casino elevators. He laughed. “I must really look good. I didn’t realize how attractive I can be.”

  Ruby slapped him on the arm. “We’re not going to a room, fool.” Instead, their destination was the club on the top of the hotel tower. It was an outdoor venue, full of music, bright lights that threw colors into the darkness, and a huge pool filled with scantily clad men and women from both planets. They danced for a while, and when she was ready for a rest, she dragged him over to a corner table. She ordered the club’s signature drink called Night’s Fire, a mixture of caffeine and liquor that tasted like perfection.

  He gestured at the surrounding people. “Why don’t we have this sort of thing in Magic City?”

  She shrugged. “Lots of reasons, I guess. This town is a lot older than ours, so we’re pretty much at the starting gate in comparison. It requires a certain level of tourists to make a place like this work.” She leaned forward, and he brought his head down near hers. “Think about it, probably at least a dozen of these parties are going on right now, all filled to the brim because they have to be for the profit margin to work out. That’s a ton of revelers.” He nodded. “Plus, we can’t compete with Sin City on its terms. Replicating what they do well isn’t a good competitive position. We have to change the game.”

  “So that’s why the idea of putting a Fremont Street-like canopy over the Strip was a nonstarter?”

  Her father had told her about the discussion, and she had shared it with her boyfriend. “Exactly. We’re better off doubling down on what we do differently instead of trying to copy what works here. Although, I think this drink might have to come back with us.” She kissed him on the nose and emptied her glass. He laughed and pulled her onto the dance floor again.

  An hour later, hot, sweaty, and entranced by the night, she dragged him back to the elevator. “Now we go to the hotel room.” His mouth fell open in surprise, and she laughed. “What? You can’t look like that and not expect me to jump on you.”

  They made it through the bedroom door before falling on one another, hot and heavy kisses and groping hands only broken when she pushed him away. “Okay, you asked for it.” She let the illusion fade, showing him her slightly altered features, the pointed ears the most telling difference. To judge by his reaction and what followed, he didn’t find them problematic in the least.

  A few hours later, she was awake in bed, staring at the ceiling as wild thoughts tumbled through her brain. His voice was a surprise as he quietly asked, “Do you realize you’re rubbing your arm?”

  She looked down to see he was correct, that her fingers were compulsively working over the tattoo. She shook her head. “Sorry to wake you.”

  “That’s not the problem. The problem is you don’t seem to have come to terms with that, or with how you got it, or whatever.”

  She sighed. “It’s hard. The thing is a constant presence in the back of my mind unless I’m guarding carefully against it or well-distracted.”

  He laughed. “I’m happy to help with the second part whenever I can, but I don’t think that’s a viable solution overall. I’m willing to try it if you are.”

  She smacked him gently. “I’m planning to talk to some people about dealing with it when my schedule allows it.”

  He replied, “Make time. Seriously.”

  She grinned and twisted fully toward him. “Promise. I’ll do it as soon as I reasonably can. For tonight, I’m afraid I’m going to need almost constant distraction. Got any ideas?” His answer was a kiss that turned into much, much more.

  Chapter Nine

  The opportunity to train with Sheen and her agents had been so hard to schedule that Ruby wasn’t willing to delay it, not even to spend another day in a hotel room with Demetrius. They portaled home, she showered and dressed, and it was off to meet Cara in the kemana to portal to their base.

  Diana and Rath greeted them as they arrived, the troll and Idryll engaging in a complicated set of fist bumps and hand slaps. Morrigan shook her head. She whispered, “Your tiger partner is crazy.”

  Ruby laughed and also shook her head. Diana said, “Let’s get to the fun stuff.” The agent escorted them to a large room filled with a bunch of white cubes stacked several stories high. She explained, “This is our training chamber. Basically, the computer can generate random or specific tactical situations, and the blocks move around to create them for us. I’ve chosen a random one today.”

  Two people Ruby hadn’t met before were in the locker area at the front of the room, donning some sort of science-fiction-looking armor. Diana introduced them. “This is Anik, and this is Tony. Along with Cara and Rath, they’re going to be the opposition. I’ll work with you three. If we have time left over after the first run, and we’re all up for it, the teams will switch up for the second one. You can take lockers six, seven, and eight.”

  Ruby opened hers and found boots, pants, tunic, and a helmet that covered her whole face. Putting them on was like slipping into a tight pair of jeans, but with a strange metallic chiming as the individual scales flexed and shifted. It was easy to move in, far more than one would expect. She said, “Okay, I’ll bite. What the hell is this stuff? More importantly, did you get it from Tony Stark? Even more importantly, if so, can I meet him?”

  Morrigan shook her head. “Try not to make us look stupid in front of the agents for once, Ruby.”

  Idryll added, “I don’t think she’s intellectually capable of that.”

  Ruby stuck out her tongue at her partners as Diana replied, “This is training armor. It registers hits and incapacitates the affected areas by freezing the scales in that location. It doesn’t give you the pain of the wound, but it does a pretty good job of simulating the immobility the damage would cause. It’s not Avengers gear, unfortunately. I’ve always wanted to meet Scarlett Johansson. Instead, it came from a defense contractor. They’re working on it for the Army, but it’s still too expensive to roll out. They were amenable to supplying some prototypes after the right level of begging. Of course, they get free research in return.”

  Idryll complained, “I’m not a fan. This is very tight.”

  Ruby replied, “Well, I guess anything would be when you spend most of your time walking around naked.”

  “Fur is no
t naked.”

  Morrigan added, “I’m afraid I have to go with Ruby on this one, Idryll.”

  The shapeshifter scowled, baring her teeth. “Idiots. You’re jealous, as always.”

  Diana laughed. “Okay, so weapons. I’ll be taking my usual rifle and pistol. Do y’all want to give rifles a try?” All three of them shook their heads simultaneously, and the agent smiled at them. “Pistols for you too, then. How about shock gloves for you, Idryll?”

  “No claws allowed?”

  “Definitely not. The goal here is training, not wounding or killing. Oh, and no magic.”

  Ruby groaned. “I think the opposing force has a definite advantage, then.”

  Rath, who had donned his suit with impressive speed, jumped up onto the bench and struck a pose. “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall never surrender.”

  Diana shook her head. “Where did you see that?”

  “Darkest Hour. Gary Oldman.”

  “You know, not every real-life movie truly shows real life accurately.”

  “I disbelieve.”

  Cara closed her locker with a clang and laughed. “Ever since we got him playing Dungeons & Dragons with us, his first response to everything is to disbelieve. To be fair, he’s figured out a couple of traps that way. It doesn’t work quite as well outside the game.”

  The troll’s grin widened. “It will. Just you wait and see.”

  Diana handed over their choices and gave Idryll a thin belt that held the battery for her gloves. “Okay, secondary weapons. I’ll have my sword. What do you want?”

  Ruby replied, “Sword.” Morrigan opted for daggers, Idryll chose nothing, and moments later they were fully geared up. Their opponents waved goodbye and headed into the interior of the modular structure. Only one opening led inside, but Diana assured them it would be far more complex inside than they probably expected. “Whoever programmed the thing did a fantastic job with it. I think this will eventually wind up being the best and only unit for training Special Forces operatives. Fortunately, we’re lucky enough to have it first.”