by TR Cameron
Ruby laughed. “And the ruler? Ours is an older Mist Elf man.”
“This one has a young woman, the Lady. Also an elf. Competent, although I know she irritates Nylotte on a fairly regular basis.”
“Is that who we’re coming to visit?” The agent had been quiet on the matter. “I’ve heard her name before, from Shentia.”
“Yes. The only advice I can give you is to be honest and don’t let her intimidate you. I mean, she will. That’s what she does, and it’s almost impossible to avoid, but she’s not all that. Just most of that.”
Rath replied, “She’s fun.”
Diana scowled down at him. “To you, maybe. Try training with her sometime.”
The troll shook his head. “No thanks. All good.”
Laughter carried them to their destination. Diana opened the door of a nondescript shop, gesturing for Ruby to precede her. She stepped inside and took in the wooden walls, the shelves filled with items that resembled the ones in Shentia's place but more tightly packed, and the white-haired woman sitting primly on a stool behind a counter that lay perpendicular to the door. The Drow said, “Welcome to my place, Ruby Achera. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
The tone and content of the greeting illustrated the need for Diana’s warning against intimidation. Ruby replied, “And I, you. Hopefully what you’ve heard about me is as positive as what others told me about you.”
She didn’t answer, merely changed the subject. “Diana. I seem to recall us having a training session scheduled for a couple of days ago.”
A sigh came from behind her. “Yes, I sent you a message that I was, uh, way out of town that day. We’ll get caught up.”
The Dark Elf seemed unconvinced, but the corners of her lips turned up as she shifted her gaze to the troll. “Rath, you are a ray of sunshine among these clouds, as always.” She gestured at Ruby and Diana to indicate those lacking that illumination. “How are you?”
He jumped up on the counter, and Ruby was positive Nylotte wouldn’t have accepted that shocking breach of formality from anyone else on either planet. “Good. Great. I met a tiger-woman. I’m going to teach her to throw knives. She’s going to teach me how to fight with claws. Do you have any claws I can use?”
Nylotte laughed. “Indeed, I’m sure there’s something around here. Feel free to look.” He jumped down with a quiet cheer and started rummaging along the shelves. She turned her attention back to Ruby. “So, Diana said you have a problem that you need help with, but no more than that. Explain.”
Ruby could see where Diana’s attitude of command came from. She obediently pushed up her sleeve to display the artifact, and the other woman clucked her tongue. “Well, that was a poor decision on your part.”
She couldn’t stop the scowl from jumping to her face. “Actually, given that I was unconscious at the time after fighting to protect others, it wasn’t a choice at all, much less a bad one.”
The Drow lifted an eyebrow and shifted her gaze to Diana. “Some fire there.”
The agent replied, “Told you.”
Nylotte rose. “Very well. Come with me, and we’ll talk.” She led the way down a staircase to the basement. It was divided roughly into thirds, with a single section nearest the street they’d entered from filled with crates. The other two-thirds combined to create a training space with a polished wooden floor. A trio of rings was inset in the surface, different metals comprising each, decreasing in size from outside to in. The centermost was large enough for the three of them to fit into, but barely. The Dark Elf sat and crossed her legs, gesturing for the others to do the same.
Ruby asked, “What is this space?”
Diana instantly answered, “Torture chamber.”
Nylotte laughed. “It’s a training room for combat or magic. The rings offer protections, each a different kind. It ensures our conversation will remain private here.”
Ruby replied, “Nothing is private from that bastard inside my head.”
“Of course, but from everyone else aside from we three, it will be. So, I take it you’re looking for ways to deal with your passenger. Diana mentioned you have an artifact sword. Has it been helpful?”
“At times, but it’s not enough on its own. I can’t go around holding my weapon all the time.”
Diana corrected, “Well, you could, but it would look pretty strange.”
Nylotte ignored the comment. “Do you have a private space?” Ruby nodded, thinking of the bunker. “Excellent. You should construct rings of your own. With the proper spells, they’ll provide a place where you can calm your mind when you need refuge.”
“They’ll suppress the artifact? For how long?”
The Dark Elf shook her head. “Not exactly. Probably the better metaphor is that they’ll give you the high ground in your interactions with it. Plus, when the time comes to fight the artifact for dominance, it will protect you from outside influence.”
Ruby replied, “That all sounds great. I can do that.”
Nylotte nodded. “Good. Now, let me teach you some basic internal shielding spells you can use to keep it at bay.”
Two hours later, when she had finally reached the point of exhaustion from trying to master the techniques Nylotte had taught, Diana and Rath escorted her outside and created a portal to send her back to her kemana. Before she could use it, Diana touched her arm. “What Nylotte didn’t say is almost as important as what she did. When the time comes to take on the artifact, be it once or repeatedly, make sure there’s someone you trust outside the rings. Should something go wrong, the barriers will protect them from you while they do what needs to be done.”
A chill ran through her, and Ruby vowed to herself that she would never let the artifact win. She smiled gratefully. “Got it. Thank you.” The agent nodded, and Rath skipped forward for a fist bump.
He said, “You are the law.”
Diana laughed and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Rath, how many times are you going to quote Judge Dredd?”
“Always and forever.”
Ruby stepped through and shook her head as the pair started to argue. Sleep. I need sleep. Then, you artifact bastard, it’s time to start putting you in your proper place. She ignored the dark laughter that came in response.
Chapter Twelve
The exertions of the day before had put Ruby to sleep for more than twelve hours, and she woke refreshed, energetic, and positive. All of that lasted right up until the Atlantean’s first chuckle in her mind. She stilled her initial wave of anger and replaced it with the meditative technique Nylotte had taught her, envisioning a glass cube that contained the Atlantean and permitted no sound to escape. That way, he couldn’t get up to anything without her seeing it, and he wouldn’t influence her.
The walls seemed thin and trembled under his blows, but they held. Both the Drow and Diana had assured her that as her skill in the technique improved, so would the cage’s solidity. Of course, that will last right up until the moment I’m distracted and he smashes through, but at least it’s something. It took another hour to get caffeinated and secure the others’ agreement, and she stepped through the portal into the bunker with Idryll behind her, ready to work.
Margrave and Morrigan had both arrived earlier. He said, “About time we got moving on this place. I expect some return on my investment, you know.”
Ruby laughed. “Don’t worry. We’ll make so many improvements that you won’t want to wait to kick us out. But you’ll have to.”
He put his hands on his hips. “So that’s your evil plan? Some way to pay back a friend.”
Morrigan interjected, “No, we compensate friends with hard work. Now get to it.”
He chuckled, and Ruby pulled him toward the escape tunnel that led to the collapsed building. While they worked on issues involving technology and magic, Morrigan and Idryll were going to do some general cleaning and bring in supplies that weren’t atomic-era MREs. Margrave had accused them of being soft for that choice, right up until the moment she offere
d the old food kits to him. Then his tone changed abruptly, and he started talking about the value of emergency backups.
They reached the end of the passage, and he instructed, “Okay, you push up on the trap door, and I’ll catch anything that’s up there waiting to fall on us.” He produced his wand from out of nowhere like he always did, and she complied. It was a weird sight, seeing the rubble above hovering in place. He didn’t seem to be expending significant energy, which impressed her yet again. She hadn’t seen him use strong magic before, only very precise power.
Margrave wore a look of concentration as he ordered, “Okay, shift the big stuff out of the way.” She complied, and he started stacking smaller pieces into walls around the trap door. After a half-hour’s work, he had built a space large enough to stand in, and they both climbed up. Rubble had piled everywhere, but he drew her attention to several areas of structural instability where a solid force blast would clear the path. He gestured toward the walls he’d built. “How good are you with fire?”
She laughed. “I’m the fire master.”
He snorted. “Okay. Using very precise fire, I want you to heat the edges of the rock so the dust and dirt trapped in between melds to it. Things will shift a little, but I’ll keep us from getting crushed, don’t worry.” She complied again, and the structure seemed more stable when the process was complete. Finally, he withdrew a tube from his cargo pants pocket. “Now, line the joins with this stuff.”
As she did so, she asked, “What is it?”
“A proprietary blend of adhesives. This will make sure what you’ve already put together doesn’t break apart.”
“Something for the open market?”
He laughed. “One of the reagents is crushed diamond, so probably not.”
She whistled. “Pretty serious about this place of yours, huh?”
“Pretty serious about your safety. Someone has to be.”
“I have Idryll looking after me. I’m fine.”
When the structural work was complete, the next installations were technological. Cameras and sensors guarded all the entrances, plus an internal network with a signal blocker to ensure that signals neither came in nor leaked out. Only one transmission point was permitted, a heavily encrypted broadband connection that would link only to its partner, a module connected to Demetrius’s gear. It was part magic, part technology, and, Margrave said, something the military was very interested in. Ruby grinned. “I love being the beneficiary of prototyping.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s great, right up until the moment it isn’t, and the thing you’re testing out blows up on you.”
“Dude. Buzzkill.”
They added magical wards to the entrances and exits, scratching runes into doorframes to anchor the power. Finally, it was time for what she considered the most important installation. They went to the smallest room, a twelve-by-twelve square that had been an armory but wouldn’t be big enough for the three of them to use together. It had been emptied and cleaned meticulously until the wooden walls and concrete floor almost glowed.
Margrave retrieved his toolbox and pulled out a spike attached to a rope, adhering the post magically to the room’s center and using the line to draw a perfect circle around it at maximum distance. While he worked, Ruby gazed at the walls. “We should probably put wards in this room, too.”
He nodded as he waved his wand at the floor, tracing the line he’d made. “Won’t be too hard, but you should do it by yourself. Once I help you get the ring in place, everything else here should be yours and yours alone. The others shouldn’t even come in.”
“Magical purity?”
“Exactly. Make this your place exclusively, and you’ll have more power when you’re in it.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Why do you let people into your workshop, then?”
He paused and lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a very smart question. You did learn something at that college of yours.” She snorted, and he continued, “The things I do in the workshop generally don’t require that level of purity. When they do, I have another room in my house I can use.”
“Really? Why haven’t you shown it to me?” He stared at her until she realized what a dumb question that was. “Oh. Yeah. Okay. No anti-college comments. I’m a little distracted these days.”
He finished his work and cautioned, “If you don’t perfectly focus on this, you could ruin it. Do you want to wait?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m good.”
“You’re sure?”
“Right as rain. So, force blast to carve out the stone to a depth of six inches, as wide as the channel between the magical barriers you’ve created.”
He nodded. “You shouldn’t be able to slip out of line to either side, but you have to be sure to go straight down. My walls will descend to help guide you where I can, but this still requires your skill and focus to ensure it doesn’t get misshapen.”
Ruby stretched and rolled her neck. “Got it. Let’s do this thing.”
It took an hour of highly focused work to carve out the channel for the ring, but when they finished, Margrave pronounced it perfect. “Okay, go get the gold.” That metal was preferable for the outermost ring because it was highly inert, both chemically and magically. It would effectively ground out any magic that tried to enter or escape. He had procured small bars of the substance, and she slotted them in as he reran the calculations to make sure they had the right amount.
She ran her hands over each before setting it in place, pushing her will into it, her intention for purity and ownership, metaphysical efforts that all the books said were valuable. Who am I to argue? It only costs me time. When she was ready, she channeled fire into the metal, hot enough to melt and fuse the ingots. They flowed, then solidified as she used an icy breeze to chill them. When she finished, the ring was solid, seemingly perfect.
Margrave put a hand on her shoulder. “Well done. A definite success. You’ll have to do the runes yourself, of course. I can help you make the tool.”
She nodded, proud of her effort. “Excellent, but I think that’s enough for today. I’m starting to lose focus.”
He laughed. “Nope, one more thing. Come with me.” They went out to the main room again, where Morrigan and Idryll were snacking on a basket of fruit. Her sister hurled an apple at Ruby, and she snatched it out of the air and took a bite. “Dang, I’m famished, thanks.”
Idryll observed, “Next time, throw faster. You almost got her in the head.”
Morrigan countered, “You didn’t throw at all. What happened, lose your nerve?”
The shapeshifter stopped brushing her arms and scowled. “There’s fruit juice in my fur.”
They all laughed, and Margrave opened a portal. With another wave of his wand, a small table, slightly wider than it was deep, floated through. It was made of the same stone as the one in his workshop.
Ruby squealed, “For me?” The process of procuring the stone and preparing such a table was intensive, which was why she and Daphne hadn’t done it, lacking the time and the resources.
He nodded with a broad smile on his face at the success of his gift. “I think you might need to be alone now and again to relax. Here, away from the outside world, seems like a good place. There’s no reason you can’t work on your research while you do it. Then it’s a double win.”
She wrapped him in a hug and bustled off to decide what room to put it in. They all spent the next hour happily in light tasks until the new cell phone that would only work when tied to the bunker’s network rang. She answered, and Demetrius’s voice came across the line, no hint of flirtation in it. “There’s a recording in the email account. Alejo is trying to get hold of you. I didn’t listen beyond the first second, but her tone sounds serious.”
Chapter Thirteen
The message from Alejo had been short and sweet. “Need to meet.” Their arrangement meant it was on Ruby to choose the time and place since that was the safest option for her. One never knows when the PDA i
s watching, and those bastards have hardly any scruples at all.
She suited up in her full uniform, draped herself in a veil, and portaled to the sheriff’s backyard. She called to ask the woman to come outside, waiting on the swing as she had before.
Sheriff Valentina Alejo didn’t offer her a bottle this time, knowing she wouldn’t remove her mask to drink it, and sipped her beer before speaking. The moonlight left her face shadowy. “The head of the local PDA reached out. They want to meet with you. Well, you and your friends.”
“Seriously? And they figured you could put that together for them how?”
She shrugged. “Our paths have crossed a number of times. I suppose it’s not unreasonable.”
“A call won’t suffice?”
Alejo laughed, low and dismissive. “It wasn’t offered as an option. It may be that they don’t just want to exchange words, if you know what I mean. Seems like a classic setup, doesn’t it?”
Ruby nodded. “It does. Who specifically?”
“Guy from the Reno office who’s been nosing around town for a while. I got the impression this is his new home, temporarily at least.”
She scowled. “Think he’s trying to make a name for himself? Pushing the boundaries a bit, taking advantage of the situation? There’s certainly a lot more PDA presence in town now than ever before.”
Alejo nodded. “Maybe, although my understanding is that PDA offices have significant operational latitude in the first place. For all I know, this could be standard operating procedure. My concern is that if this meeting doesn’t happen, they might start putting pressure on my office, either to use us or to cut us out of whatever’s going on.”