by Geof Johnson
“Well?” Jamie said. “What did your boss say?”
Carl set his equipment on the table. “He started to protest, but Eric and Terry showed him their identification and he knew he had to let us go.”
John Paul chuckled. “Should’ve seen the look on his face, though. I thought his eyes were going to pop right out of his head when they flashed their badges at him.”
“Do you have everything you need? We have plenty more to do.” Jamie pulled a small piece of paper from his back pocket and scanned the schedule he’d written on it. “Okay, next up is the raid on the CIA’s equipment locker, and then Bryce. I gotta find a place to make a doorway for him so he can come back from the meet.”
Jamie studied the diagram displayed on Eric and Terry’s computer monitor and idly fingered one earlobe. The view showed the layout of one section of the CIA headquarters, and Jamie was trying to pinpoint the equipment locker. “I think I got it now.” He turned and made another mini-portal at eye level, then stepped aside for Eric. “Fifth time is the charm.”
Eric peered through the coin-sized glowing circle for a few seconds before holding up one thumb. “That’s it. That’s the view from the back wall. You can put a full-sized portal in this spot.”
“What about video cameras?” Carl said. “Surely there’s one around somewhere.”
“It’s out in the hall,” Terry said, “aimed at the door. There’s only one way into that room, unless you have a sorcerer on your team.”
“What if someone else is in there?”
“Fred gave me a Stupefyin’ pendant. I’ll go through first and twirl it to neutralize any bystanders. I think everybody here has their counter charm bracelets.”
Jamie started to outline the doorway but John Paul thrust up one hand. “Wait,” he said. “What are we getting from there, Eric?”
“More weapons, ammo, and vests for Jamie and his friends.”
“I’ll get the vests,” Terry said. “I know what sizes to look for. Melanie and Nova are smaller than me and Fred. Jamie, should I get some for Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley?”
“I doubt they’d wear them.”
“We should get a few other things, too,” Eric said. “Smoke grenades, flash grenades, explosive packs, and whatever else you want to grab.”
“How about radios?” Carl asked. “You said this monastery is a maze of corridors and tunnels. Won’t we need a way to stay in touch once we’re inside the building? We could easily get separated and lost while searching for Cage.”
“I already thought of that,” Jamie said. “We can use the lockets from the Rivershire School, the ones that contain a shaving from my walking stick. I can tell where everybody is if they’re wearing one of them.”
“How do they work?” Terry said.
“The wooden chips inside the lockets are the little pieces Uncle Charlie sliced off my stick when he carved it, and they’re still magically connected to it. If you’re wearing a locket, I can find you, just by holding the stick and closing my eyes. I’ll see a line inside my head that traces directly to where you are.”
She whistled softly. “What a great capability.”
“I figured we’d need it. I already got the lockets from the school this morning.”
Eric picked up his black duffle bag from the floor and glanced at his watch. “We need to get going, Jamie.”
Jamie outlined a doorway and moved aside. Terry went through first, spinning the pendant Fred had made, and everyone else followed. Jamie brought up the rear, and stepped into a large storage room, illuminated by fluorescent lights in the ceiling, and it had a faint industrial smell of metal and chemicals. Tall steel shelves, full of boxes and gear, were arranged in rows, and more lined the walls.
Eric gestured to his right. “Grenades and other stuff are that way. There are signs on the end of each shelf that list what’s on it. Grab some flashlights and compasses while you’re at it.” Carl and John Paul headed off together while the two agents split up and disappeared into the confusing stacks of supplies.
“What should I get?” Jamie called.
“What do you think you’ll need?” Terry said from somewhere nearby.
“Uh…nothing, I guess. I’ll be using my magic.” While he waited for them to get their gear, he examined the contents of the nearest shelf. It was loaded with small cardboard boxes that had been cut open to allow access to what was inside. He peered into one and pulled out an electronic device, no bigger than his little fingernail, made up of miniscule components attached to a circuit board.
“What is this?” he said to no one in particular. Must be some kind of bug. The box next to it had similar gadgets, handfuls of them. It was like a hardware store for secret agents. Your one-stop shopping for all your mission needs! Jamie laughed to himself and looked at the equipment on the other nearby shelves and the long rack of weapons on the wall. I bet my dad likes this place. John Paul, too.
Minutes later, the others appeared carrying armloads of gear, and they went back through the doorway to Eric and Terry’s house. They set their supplies on the floor, and Jamie scrutinized the impressive pile. There were black bulletproof vests, two shotguns, boxes of grenades and ammunition, and more.
“We didn’t get any guns for your friends because I don’t think they’ll use them,” Carl said.
“No, they won’t. Bryce might, in a pinch, but not Rollie or any of the girls. Doesn’t matter, because Fred will supply them with plenty of magical stuff.”
“I’m okay with that,” Terry said. “I think our team has a good complement of firepower. Four of us will have guns, and six will have magic, if Fred gives Bryce and Melanie some powders and potions.”
“Eight,” Jamie said. “Don’t forget Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley. They’re coming, too.”
“That should be more than enough,” Eric said. “I don’t think Cage has but four or five guards at the monastery now, and they won’t all be on duty at the same time. Some will be asleep. I’d expect only two to be up and working, and they’ll probably be at the main entrances.”
“But we’re not going in that way,” Jamie said.
“No. You’ll make a new entrance for us.” He smiled slyly. “One they won’t expect.”
Jamie sat on the end of Eric and Terry’s couch and eyed the half-eaten turkey sub in his hand, struggling to find the appetite to finish it. Carl had gotten it for him at the nearby sandwich shop, along with more for the rest of their group. Jamie set it down on the napkin that was spread across his thighs, and exhaled slowly through his nose.
Carl walked up and put his hand on Jamie’s shoulder, then gestured at the food in Jamie’s lap. “Better eat the whole thing, son. Might be a while before you eat again.”
“I’m not hungry right now. Too nervous.”
Rollie, who was sitting next to him, said, “Can I have it? I’m still hungry.”
Jamie started to hand it to him but Carl said, “No. You eat it, Jamie.”
“Why are you so worried, dude?” Rollie said. “This mission isn’t that big of a deal. We have a lot more help this time, especially when Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley get here. We’ll practically have an army compared to what we’re used to.”
“But that means more chances of someone getting hurt.” Jamie glanced around at all of his friends in the room.
“I think we’ll be fine,” Carl said. “Eric and Terry worked up a good assault plan, and it keeps you and your friends in the safest positions. And we have plenty of magic to help us, with Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley on our side.”
“Yeah,” Rollie said, “and all of us have experience dealing with dangerous situations.”
Jamie lowered his voice and said, “Not Bryce and Melanie.”
“You don’t think they can handle it?”
“No, I mean…they’re competent and everything, but…dang! I’m still worried about them.”
Carl shrugged and said, “If you’re that concerned, then tell them they can’t go.”
“It’
s too late, now. They’ll never forgive me if I tell them they have to stay behind. Fred and Melanie already had a big argument about it.”
“But you’ll know for sure they’ll be safe. Which is more important, their friendship or their safety?”
Jamie didn’t have time to answer because Rollie quickly said, “Let ’em come with us, Jamie. They’re part of the Crew, now, and you should let them make their own decisions about what to do.”
Jamie looked again at his two non-magical friends, talking quietly while they ate, neither Bryce nor Melanie showing any signs of nervousness. “Okay, I guess. I hope nothing bad happens to them, or any of us, for that matter, I’d have a hard time living with that.”
It’s all about choices again, he realized. Hope I just made the right one.
Chapter 21
Jamie traced another mini-portal to the monastery grounds, and Eric peered through it.
“There are no guards on the runway, either,” Eric said, then he turned and faced the big group in his living room. “The only ones I’ve spotted were at the two main entrances, so they won’t see us if we go in through the south wall.”
Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley had joined them, and they didn’t seem the least bit anxious. Momma Sue patted Mrs. Malley on the back and grinned. “We’re going on a secret spy mission, Bella. Ever been on one of those, before?”
“I cannot say that I have, but this shall be exciting, I believe.” Her eyes hardened and she said, “Whatever the rest of you do, leave the three witches to us. Sue and Fred and I will have enough magic to deal with them.”
“Okay then.” Eric slung his heavy black duffel bag over his shoulder and grasped his shotgun with one hand. “Jamie and I will go first and reconnoiter the situation. Stay back until you get my signal.”
Jamie felt his pulse surge and caught his breath when Eric said, “Let’s do it.”
Jamie made a doorway, pushed it open, and grimaced when the frigid air blew into the room.
“Eric?” Nova shivered, standing with Rollie and holding a bag full of magic powders and potions. “Are you sure we won’t need our heavy coats?”
“They’ll just get in the way. Lightweight jackets are best. You’re only going to be outside for a few seconds.” Without another word, he stepped through the portal and Jamie followed him.
They stood beside the dimly lit poplar tree at the monastery where Jamie had placed the listening device a few days earlier. Eric scanned the area and then pointed to the building, fifty feet away. Jamie ran with him through the snow and they stopped beside the ancient wall of Cage’s stronghold. Jamie put his ear to it and grunted when the cold stung his tender skin, then he called up his magic senses and listened carefully. Hearing nothing, he touched a finger to the stone. “Can I put another doorway right here?” Eric nodded, and Jamie outlined a portal, then opened it to darkness.
Eric clicked on his flashlight and went inside with his shotgun ready. Jamie followed. They found themselves in an abandoned room, which only contained empty wooden crates, covered in dust. On the opposite wall was an archway that led to the gloom beyond.
“Good enough?” Jamie said. Eric evaluated the situation momentarily before nodding once and setting his duffle bag down. Jamie made a tennis-ball sized sun and floated it to the ceiling, filling the room with yellowish-white light, while Eric stepped back outside and waved the others to join him.
Everyone dashed across the short distance except for the two old witches, who walked faster than Jamie expected, considering their advanced age. When they were all inside the monastery, Jamie gestured, and the footprints they’d left in the snow vanished. Then he closed the doorway by the tree but left the one on the wall open for an emergency exit. They stacked a couple of crates in front of it to hide it and block the cold wind.
Momma Sue closed her eyes and deep creases formed on her forehead, then she turned to Mrs. Malley. “The witches are here. Do you feel them?”
“Yes.” Mrs. Malley’s normally gentle face was hard in the glow from Jamie’s sun that hovered overhead. She and Momma Sue carried leather bags that Jamie assumed contained potions and powders. All of Jamie’s friends had some, too, and wore one of Fred’s magic pendants around their necks.
Jamie was struck by how strange their little assault team must look to an outsider: witches and wizards, CIA agents and policemen, young and old, all carrying various weapons and wearing different clothing. Nothing uniform about them except for the determined looks in their eyes. We should be okay, he told himself. We’re going to catch Phillip Cage tonight and he’ll never know what hit him.
“This room will be our rendezvous point,” Eric said as he clipped a couple of grenades to his belt. “Everybody should have a compass and a flashlight, so if you get lost in the building, keep heading south and look for Jamie’s little sun.” He glanced up at the glowing ball. “But if you’re still lost, don’t panic. Jamie can find if you’re wearing your locket with the wood chip.”
“And keep twirling your pendants!” Fred said. “Don’t go around any corners without doing that. If any guards are there, they’ll be too stunned to shoot.”
Eric stuck his flashlight into a fitting on the barrel of his shotgun and Terry did the same, then they both stepped out through the archway into the hall, Eric pointing his weapon to the left and Terry to the right. “Clear,” Terry said.
Their plan was to search the vast building in teams. Bryce and Melanie would go with Eric and Terry to inspect the main floor while Rollie and Nova went with Carl and John Paul to check the extensive cellars. Fred would stay with Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley and hunt for the three witches, while Jamie would comb the upper levels, working solo, since he would be translocating and moving too quickly to stay with a group.
Eric’s team gathered and left, followed by Carl’s, leaving Jamie alone in the cold storage room. He stared at the ceiling, trying to decide the best way to get to the second floor. Translocate or portal? Translocating could be dangerous if he didn’t rematerialize in an open space, and the glow of a portal would give his presence away if someone were nearby.
His decision was made easier when Rollie reappeared in the archway. “Hey, there’s a stairwell down this way.”
Jamie trailed him out into the dim hall and down to where it made a ninety-degree left turn at the base of a set of stairs. “Good luck,” Rollie whispered and went to rejoin his group.
Jamie summoned his will and cloaked himself with his invisibility shield, then floated up the steps like a specter, touching nothing, silent, his heart rate rising as he went.
He reached the top and found it to be completely dark. With his shield still around him, he formed another glowing ball and translocated it several feet away, where it hung in the air, illuminating an empty hallway, its floor covered in dust and the corners laced with cobwebs like a haunted mansion. They must not use this part of the monastery. There were four doors along the corridor, and he paused at each one, dropped his shield for a moment and ramped up his magic senses, listening for heartbeats inside, but detected none. He moved on.
The hall made a sharp turn at the end, revealing a longer row of wooden doorways, all cobweb-covered, with rusted hinges and handles, and silent as the ones before. Must’ve been the monks’ quarters. The place resembled a tomb, holding nothing but the ghosts of long-dead pious men and spiders, eternally weaving funeral shrouds.
He followed the twisting, turning corridor, keeping the glowing ball ahead of him, and he passed more neglected doors and a few small, open chambers, all empty, all quiet.
After about ten minutes of fruitless searching, he stopped and put his hands on his hips. This is taking too long. There’s a faster way. He dropped his shield, closed his eyes, and increased his magic hearing to maximum, listening for heartbeats, footsteps, or a distant conversation. Anything to lead him to Phillip Cage.
Boom. Boom. Muffled gunshots. Jamie cringed and held his breath for a moment. Sounds like a shotgun. Hope it’s one of ours. He
heard another, and caught his breath again and waited, still as stone, but there was only silence.
Then, faint and distant, footsteps, but only one set. They seemed to be coming from somewhere near the heart of the monastery, so Jamie raised his shield again and sprinted in that direction, dashing around corners and down the convoluted passageways, past other empty, dark rooms and barrel-vaulted chambers. He paused every minute or so and listened again, and soon he detected more movement, only louder. I’m getting close.
He ran until he found himself in a long hallway that had windows on one side, allowing faint moonlight to enter. He extinguished his little sun and waited for his eyes to adjust, peering down the length of the corridor.
At the far end, he spied a male figure under a window, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, his arms draped over his knees and his head down, facing Jamie’s way. Jamie’s heart leaped. Is that him? Phillip Cage?
Jamie crept closer with his invisibility shield still surrounding him, eyes focused on the man on the floor. It was difficult to see his face in the weak light, with his chin low to his chest and his features in deep shadow, but it could’ve been Cage. It was hard to tell if he was even alive, he was so still. Maybe he got shot and died right there. That would be too easy.
Jamie took a few more steps and paused, watching, listening. He looked down at his feet and saw that he stood over two parallel lines of white powder striped across the floor, disturbed by his footprints. Tiny flakes floated in the air around him.
The man on the floor looked up and grinned.
It’s a trap! Jamie realized.
Everything went black.
Jamie became aware, sitting at a weathered wooden table inside of a circular room with stone walls. “This looks familiar,” he muttered. Then he noticed someone sitting across from him, an old man, with long gray hair and beard, wearing a dark robe and an amused smile. Eddan the Sorcerer.
“What the….” Jamie spluttered. “How are you here, I mean, where am I? Is this your tower? I thought it was destroyed. What is going on?”