by TR Cameron
He nodded. “I’ve added a line, which is, ‘on to the next.’ Unless you have questions or concerns about that device, you can pack it up, and we’ll do just that thing.”
She shook her head and put the items away. “Looks great to me.”
Daphne changed the subject. “So, I’m working on something that’s only magic although there’s a little chemical angle to it as well.”
He nodded. “Tell me.” She went on to explain what she was trying to do, increasing the “pop” of energy potions at an economy that would make it profitable, and they exchanged ideas for a couple of minutes. Ruby hadn’t known Margrave was as versed in chemicals as he seemed to be, but it made sense. Like everything else when working in physical science, it was virtually impossible to avoid any of the various subfields completely. He offered her a few pointers and provided some supplies for her to run tests. She hummed happily, probably unaware she was doing so, as she worked with her components.
Ruby shook her head and slid the case with the dart bracelet back to him. “Whoever gets that is going to be pleased with it, I think.”
“I hope so.” He handed over something in a closed fist, and she accepted it and peered at it under the table. It was a new version of the stun knuckles, with a little more protrusion at the points. “Nice. Fancy.”
“More than that, it can be charged with lightning or plugged in.”
“So, you can refuel it in the field?”
He nodded. “Exactly.”
Ruby handed it back over to him. “That’s handy. Very handy.”
He grinned. “Okay, here’s the real prize.” He opened the big case he’d brought out at the beginning, revealing several items nestled in foam cutouts. One of them looked like a syringe gun straight out of a James Bond film.
She asked, “Are you making movie props now? Is Dr. Evil coming by for that later?”
“Har, har, har.” He lifted the object and slid a small capsule into the barrel. “Give me your arm.”
What the what? Still, she trusted him as much as anyone on Earth, so she extended her right arm. He set the injector against it and pulled the trigger, and a sharp pain was the result. It quickly faded, and she saw a small bulge under her skin. “What is it?”
“That one’s a gel capsule. It’ll dissolve in a day or so. I wanted to demonstrate the injector. The rest of these, though, are locator beacons.”
Her eyes widened. They’d talked about such a device after the kidnapping at the casino, but she hadn’t realized he’d started developing it. “Did you get it working? The casino owners in Magic City will probably pay a lot to have their kids trackable, given the current situation.”
He nodded. “I’m a little uncomfortable with the whole thing since surveillance isn’t really something I embrace. If it’s opt-in, and the device is magically and technologically encrypted to a single receiver we can keep the Paranormal Defense Agency away from, it seems like a valid possibility. Ideally, you’d inject it somewhere no one would notice.”
Daphne snarked, “Ruby has a boyfriend now, in case you weren’t aware. I don’t think there’s anywhere it might not be noticed.”
Margrave laughed, and Ruby ordered, “Shut it, or we’ll test it out on your forehead.”
He replied, “No, no, it has to go somewhere fleshy. Hitting bone with the injector would be bad for everyone involved.”
Ruby argued, “All the more reason to try it there if you ask me.”
Daphne stuck out her tongue, and Ruby shifted her attention back to Margrave as he spoke again. “I already have one injected in my thigh. So far, after a couple of days, no ill effects. Of course, I thoroughly tested it. Maybe you could take it, show it to your father?”
She nodded. Take it and use it on my team and my parents, you mean. “Will do. I’m sure he’ll be enthused.”
With a flourish, he produced one more object, a silver canister about the size of his hand. “This may be the coolest thing I’ve ever made. It’s an EMP, very short range, probably just enough power to take out a single car, and it’s both charged and activated by magical lightning.”
Ruby shook her head, suppressing the desire to snatch it from his hands and run away with it. “You’ve outdone yourself. Although, I imagine the military will want a more standard version.”
“This one is more or less proof of concept. I’m not ready to hand this off to them just yet.” He turned to Daphne. “What I could really use are healing and energy potions designed to absorb through the skin. Then, someone could wear them underneath their clothes and strike them to release the dose or something. The delivery mechanism wouldn’t be hard once we had the right formula.”
Her roommate virtually glowed at the suggestion. “I would love to work on that with you.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome anytime, with or without the sourpuss over there.”
His reference acknowledged the frown that had snuck onto Ruby’s face. She’d checked her watch and realized she had only a half-hour before she had to be at Spirits for the work gig that allowed Daphne to continue her research free of other commitments. She rose and said, “I have family stuff at the casino. I’ll drop by and pick things up later. Is that okay?”
Margrave nodded. “Perfect.” Daphne didn’t reply, already lost in her research again. It’s worth every minute to see her finally focused on what she loves, even though I don’t have an abundance of minutes to spare.
Chapter Nineteen
After her shift at Spirits, Ruby had decided to raid her parents’ fridge for a late-night snack and crash at their place. She was comfortably sleeping the next morning when a knock on her door woke her up. She snarled, “What?” Then she realized where she was and said, “I mean, come in?”
Matthias stepped into the room and reported, “There’s a messenger for you at the front entrance. They’ll only speak directly to you, I’m sorry.”
Ruby cocked her head to the side. “Any indication of what it’s about?” He shook his head. She lowered her voice and asked, “Is it a police officer or government agent?”
He laughed. “Of course not. It’s one of the runners the shopkeepers use to send messages back and forth.”
“Kind of early, isn’t it?”
His grin widened. “It’s eleven in the morning.”
She scowled. “Okay, I can feel your judgment over here. Go on, get out, tell him I’ll be there in a minute.” Idryll let out a meow as she stretched in her feline form as if to reinforce the order.
He replied, “Certainly,” and stepped out.
Ruby threw off the covers, changed into shorts and a T-shirt that she hadn’t slept in, and ran a brush through her hair. “I wonder what this is about?”
The cat on the bed observed, “Doesn’t seem like an emergency, anyway. Although you probably inspired some questions by asking about police and agents.”
She frowned at her reflection. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Brain’s taking a little longer than usual to get online today.”
“It’s always difficult when you restart something you haven’t used in so long.”
“Oh, you’re hilarious.” She twisted and tossed the brush at the bed in a gentle arc, forcing Idryll to scramble out of the way. Guess I’m lucky she didn’t switch forms and throw it back at my face. “Let’s go see what the messenger has to say.”
The mystery turned out to be a summons to visit Shentia, so after bidding the young courier goodbye, they headed for her shop. “Maybe she has something exciting to show us. I love new toys.”
Idryll, now in her normal form and disguised by illusion, replied, “You should get some claws. Much better than punching, and I could teach you how to use them.” Her tone wasn’t even remotely playful.
Ruby nodded. “I’m open to that idea if we can find some that extend and retract like Wolverine’s. Well, not actually into the skin, but gloves or something. I couldn’t wear them full-time, though. The trouble twins would be insulted.” Her artifact sword had become increasingl
y vocal about the fact that she didn’t use the weapon as often as they’d prefer.
Idryll snorted. “Probably best to keep them happy since they're helpful with that thing in your arm.”
She touched it involuntarily, then forced her hand aside. Fortunately, it looked enough like a real tattoo that she wasn’t uncomfortable walking around with it out in the open. Nylotte had assured her that as long as she kept up her basic barriers, which so far she’d been able to do whenever she was awake, it would keep others from sensing the artifact unless they were particularly adept. Her tone when she’d said so had made Ruby think that not many people achieved that level of competency on the Dark Elf’s scale.
They entered Shentia's shop and found her waiting, comfortably seated in a chair. The Drow nodded at their entrance and waved toward another nearby seat. Idryll beat her to it, and Ruby sat on the arm of the chair, squashing Idryll's arm against it before the tiger-woman pulled it out from under her with a growl. In here, she could let the illusion drop and allow Idryll to appear in her natural state. Ruby asked, “What can I do for you?”
Shentia smiled. “Funny you should phrase it like that because indeed, I have a task to request of you.”
Ruby stilled her expression while her mind yelled, I don’t have time for this. She’d promised to help whenever the Drow asked her to, and it was bound to come due, eventually. Worse, it would be impolite and potentially offensive to try to find out how much of her debt accepting the task would work off. Instead, she nodded. “Of course. Tell me what you need.”
The Dark Elf steepled her fingers before her. She looked more severe than usual. “I was to have received possession of some property. However, someone stole it in transit. It’s important to me, and I would like you to retrieve it.”
Doesn’t sound so hard, must be a catch somewhere. “What’s it look like?”
“It’s inside a carved wooden box, about the size of a large dictionary of your language.”
Ruby shook her head. “Sorry, that doesn’t tell me anything. You’re aware of computers, right?”
Shentia sighed. “It’s about as long as your dagger, bigger than that in the opposite rectangular direction, and about as high as four of them stacked on top of each other.”
“Okay, sounds good. Are you tracking it?”
The other woman shook her head. “It was never in my possession to do so. However, I can get you to within a few blocks based upon the information the sender has provided.”
Not very effective customer service on the sender’s part. Figures. “Good enough. We’ll change clothes and get started on it right away.”
As they crouched on the rooftop across from the third warehouse they’d be checking for evidence of the stolen property, Idryll said, “Explain to me again why we’re doing this in the middle of the afternoon.”
Ruby’s costume was hot. She was uncomfortable and irritated and sensed her companion both knew it and deliberately took advantage of it. She managed to keep the growl from her voice when she replied, “We don’t want them to move it on us. Sounds like the seller isn’t particularly good at keeping track of their stuff, and disappointing Shentia isn’t an option. So, going after it right away makes us look better.”
“It also makes this whole thing far more dangerous.”
Ruby chuckled. “First, you don’t think anything is particularly dangerous, so you’re just being a jerk. Second, we’ll go in quietly, take what we need to take, and get out of there. No muss, no fuss.” The dart launcher was strapped onto her forearm, resting comfortably above the shield bracelet on that arm. They’d come fully ready to fight, but she truly hoped it wouldn’t be required. No muss, no fuss, please give me a break for once.
Making sure her veil was solid, she blasted herself across the two-lane industrial street that ran between the buildings, then opened a portal for Idryll to join her. Probably the tiger-woman could’ve made the jump, but Ruby didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. They scuttled over to look down through the skylights, and Ruby muttered, “Bingo.” Below lay a large room full of tables. On those surfaces were an assortment of items, some magical, some mundane, all probably stolen. Numerous magicals moved through the space, interacting with the objects. She spotted Kilomea, a couple of dwarves, and several Dark Elves in the slice of warehouse visible through the glass. “Wonder if someone down there is one of Shentia's competitors?”
Idryll shrugged. “Could be. So, do we go in fighting?”
Ruby scowled. “What part of stealth don’t you understand? Besides, if it’s special enough for Shentia to want it and someone else to steal it, the best place to check is probably the office.”
“How do you know there’s an office?”
She rolled her eyes and wondered what that looked like on the dragon mask’s face. “These places always have an office, so whoever’s in charge can get away from the workers. It’ll be on one end, and if there’s a second floor, on the second floor.” Her prediction proved correct in both positioning and height. They opened the closest skylight and slipped through, Ruby carefully maintaining the illusion of normalcy and keeping them invisible while they descended to the steel frame a couple of feet below.
They crawled along the girders to the raised area containing the office and dropped to the staircase that led to the door. Ruby said, “We go in. I shoot whoever’s in there with a dart. They go down. We take their stuff. We get out of here.”
“I’m sure it’ll work out just like that. Good to be an optimist.” The sarcasm was thick. “Ready when you are.”
She turned the handle and pushed the door open with her left hand, raising her right as she stepped through. A Dark Elf man in a dark suit sat behind a desk, sorting through a stack of papers. On the surface to his right was the box Shentia had described. Dang, dictionaries are big. She tapped the contact in her palm with the one on her ring finger to launch the dart, and it sped toward the magical. He waved a hand, and the projectile diverted to slam into the wall behind him. He took no additional actions other than to say, “I thought taking this powerful an object might spark your interest. I wanted to meet the last member of your gang.”
Idryll growled, “You again. Not wandering down alleys to set ambushes for humans today?”
Ruby understood who it was, then. She said, “We’re not a gang.”
He nodded, leaned forward slightly, and rested his forearms on the desk. “Actually, you are. Several members, common cause, of interest to the authorities. Maybe you should get a dictionary.”
Ruby closed her eyes and counted to three before responding. “You know, aged, arrogant Drow are starting to get on my nerves today. Maybe you should take that as a warning. I’m here. What do you want?”
He shrugged. “The humans in this town have overstepped and will continue to do so unless we rein them in. We need to make sure that anyone who takes action against a magical gets put in their proper place, hard. We won’t go on offense, as such, but our defense must be brutally effective so that only a few lessons are needed to teach them all.”
Idryll replied, “Their ‘place’ being in a coffin, right?”
He chuckled. “We could incinerate them so there are no remains to deal with, if you prefer.”
Ruby shook her head. “We work within the law.”
He scoffed, “Hardly. If you did so, you wouldn’t have the police, the sheriff, and the lovely Paranormal Defense Agency tracking you.”
She let out a long sigh. “This conversation is going nowhere. Do we need to take the box from you by force?”
He shook his head, then turned and opened the carved container so they could see the ornate dagger inside. “No, take it and go. I got what I wanted from it.” She nodded, grabbed it, and backpedaled warily, with Idryll leading her. She paused before the exit to reactivate her veil, and at that moment, the Drow leaned forward and hit them both with a force blast, sending them tumbling backward to fall over the railing. His magically amplified voice shouted, “Get them
.”
Chapter Twenty
Ruby twisted and controlled her descent with a burst of force magic that settled her onto her feet in perfect balance. Idryll had landed cleanly a foot away and was already charging the nearest foes. She pulled her eyes from the tiger-woman and focused instead on the pair of elves approaching from the right. Holding this box is going to hamper my fighting ability. She summoned her force shield, layering it above her skin, and drew the sword from over her shoulder.
The blade rang as it cleared its scabbard and the two oncoming enemies skidded to a halt, perhaps deciding that hand-to-hand wasn’t as great an idea as they’d first thought. The first blasted her with lightning, and the second sent a wash of flame over her. She ran to her left, counting on her shield to handle the incoming attacks. They gnawed at her protection, sending pain as a reminder that even magical defenses weren’t invulnerable. She sheathed the sword to the displeasure of the pair inside it, who muttered curses at her until she released the hilt.
Ruby cross-drew her dagger and turned back toward her foes, who had pounded in pursuit. She pointed the weapon and summoned a corona of lightning around the elves, then growled in frustration as their shields popped into place to protect them. Dammit, I hate competent enemies.
Idryll's instincts sent her running toward battle instead of away from it. It was simply a part of who she was, a key element of her psychological makeup, perhaps. All she knew, dashing forward with reckless abandon at the pair of Kilomea in front of her, was that her senses thrilled with the idea of the fight to come. She considered taking it up a level by using her claws, but Ruby hadn’t given the go-ahead, and she could always turn to them at need if things went badly.
The first stepped forward with his fists raised like a boxer, clearly experienced and ready to mix it up. Instead of answering him in kind, she feinted a punch and kicked at his knee, going for the quick elimination. He dropped that knee to the floor, took her blow on his thigh, and grabbed her leg. She leapt off the other foot, aiming it in a kick at his head as she twisted in midair along her long axis in an effort to wrench the trapped foot from his grasp.