Enemies Allied

by Serena Lindahl

  Jenira spoke with Cat in the earpiece, informing her of their location. Both Davin and Alena had attempted to use the earpieces, but the use of their magic shorted out the tech. That, more than anything, proved they were Magitech together. They'd never noticed because they’d always worked alone.

  Davin parked the van several blocks away. Zar blended into the shadows along the street while Alena and Jenira built shields to prevent detection from techs or mundanes. Mages would see through them, but they were in the center of a tech district. The huge brick mansion that was Davis' Brenville home towered before them.

  "Good to go," Jenira whispered to Cat. Alena shook her head, denying the presence of wards. So far, this was a smooth operation.

  Two men guarded the back and two were stationed by the front. Jenira slipped over the ten-foot wall, using her strength and speed magic to approach and incapacitate the front yard guards. The lumbering giants collapsed after a well-placed roundhouse kick. She threw their guns in a nearby thorn bush. With a little assistance of her magic, they would remain unconscious for long enough to complete their interrogation.

  Cat confirmed Davis' presence; he'd entered the house thirty minutes ago. Jenira assumed he'd be in one of three places - the kitchen, his bedroom, or his study. The house was empty of cameras Cat could tap into, which meant Davis was either smart or paranoid.

  At her signal, Davin lifted Alena over the wall before scrambling over himself. Davin remained quiet and graceful even with his size; his magic ensured it.

  Alena stopped in the garden. "Magic," she whispered, closing her eyes. "One mage in the house and one Magitech. They're not shielding very strongly, which means they don't know we're here or they don't care. Wards are designed to alert but not incapacitate.”

  Jenira frowned. Their simple job was presenting unexpected complications. The presence of a Magitech greatly disturbed her. "Abort or proceed?" she asked Davin.

  "Proceed."

  "Fine, then we go in hot and heavy. If anything happens, get yourselves out. I can phase to you." They all nodded. They'd discussed exit strategies; this was the one they'd use if everything went south.

  There were several guards on the grounds. If they were all notified of their presence, they would be sorely outnumbered. But they were also mages, and the guards were mundanes.

  Davin kicked the locked front door in with a loud crash. Hot and heavy meant hot and heavy. If the sound didn't alert every person in the house, the wards would. Alena pointed towards where she felt the mage and Magitech. Luckily, they were both in the same direction. To their surprise, no guards ran to meet them.

  Jenira's sixth sense tingled. Something was wrong, but it was too late to abort. They ran down the hall. Her blades waited in her hands, and Alena's fingers sparked with fire.

  The house wasn't fully lit, but bright enough to see their way. She dismissed the lavish furnishings and elaborate paintings; they weren't the threat. The fire mage pointed at a door. Jenira took a deep breath and raised her leg.

  "Please don't break that door, too. Just come in."

  Jenira cursed, glancing at Davin. He looked as flabbergasted as she felt. If this were a solo job, she would have exited already. Too many elements didn't add up.

  "You open the door," she countered. She didn't want to trigger any traps. The door slowly opened into a brightly lit room.

  Jenira's eyes tracked the corners quickly, unease rising within her. Three burly guards, all mundanes, waited in ready positions. With a full view of the man's eyes standing beside the desk, she identified the mage easily. Alena's powers worked from a distance, but Jenira could tell by looking at the eyes. Davis sat at the desk, looking nonplussed as he read from a paper ledger.

  "Please come in," he said finally, looking up. "I prefer a civil discussion rather than you clobbering more of my guards."

  Jenira cursed silently. Either Cat's surveillance hack didn't work or he possessed more sophisticated protection than they'd detected. She hated it when her quarry had the upper hand.

  Davis' lips curved in a genuine smile as he nodded to Jenira, He barely acknowledged the other two. "I knew you were more than a pretty face." He spoke in the same friendly manner he'd greeted her at the party Davin insisted she attend. His eyes traced the scar across her face; it had been hidden the last time they met. Jenira's eyes traveled the room. Was the mage the Magitech, or someone else?

  "Davin Rennert," the old man continued. "I thought you above this kind of thing, but I guess not." He gestured to the three armed mundanes. "Leave us."

  The tech mogul reclined in his chair, his hands folded in his lap. The mage behind him, an elderly man with no distinguishing features, remained still and placid. Jenira shielded her mind carefully, not sure what kind of abilities the mage possessed. The guards slipped from the room without question. The door closed behind them, and the three of them stood uncomfortably before Davis and his mage.

  "Surprised?" He stroked his graying beard, his keen eyes observant. Jenira couldn't read him at all. "I knew he would send a representative at some point. I didn't think it would be Davin Rennert and his pet mercenary, but I've been surprised before."

  Jenira schooled her features into careful stoicism, but his words shivered a warning across her skin.

  Davin didn't have the same reaction. "What are you playing at, Davis?"

  Davis' lips turned down. "Don't play stupid, Rennert. I know all about the Magitech that's been stealing my goods, and I know he wants to recruit me. I won't work for him, and I'm willing to kill to keep it that way." Steel entered his blue-gray eyes.

  A bolt of surprise shot through Jenira. She might have laughed if it were at any other moment. There was no point in playing coy anymore. "Which one is the Magitech?"

  "He is." Alena pointed at Davis.

  Jenira thought so the moment the words left his mouth, but she'd wanted to be sure. She tapped the flat of her dagger against her chin, sending Davin a look that would hopefully keep his mouth shut. "So..." Jenira drawled. "The famous Davis is a Magitech. That is interesting." If the man was surprised, he didn't show it. She admired his poker face. "But he also employs a pretty strong mage as well." She pointed her dagger at the mage who, to his credit, didn't even flinch. "And yet he thinks we come on behalf of another Magitech. There are a lot more Magitechs in the world than I thought."

  "We're not working for Mather,” Davin ground out.

  Jenira sighed. Evidently, he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

  Davis quirked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Then why are you here?"

  "We thought you were working for Mather. It's your parts that he's using to create his robots."

  Davis stared at them, considering their words as his eyes raked each of them. His mood changed from angry to thoughtful. He glanced at his pet mage.

  "Truth," the mage said. Ah, a magic lie detector. In this case, it worked in their favor.

  Davis sighed at the word. "Well, well. It seems I was mistaken after all. I've been waiting for the Magitech that calls himself Mather. He’s been stealing my parts for the past two years. It's one of the reasons I'm looking to expand into Brenville. All my efforts thus far haven't worked to deter him, so I wanted to move farther away from where I guessed his base of operations to be. Why isn't he also stealing Rennert tech?"

  "Unfortunately," Jenira cut in before Davin could incriminate himself, "we don't have a mage lie detector on our side. How do we know you're telling the truth?"

  "True," Davis said. "My mage lie detector, as you call him, only called Dr. Rennert's words true either. Not yours or your friend’s.” He motioned to Alena. "So, if you please, tell me you're not working for Mather."

  "We're trying to defeat him," Alena said coldly.

  Jenira barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. She worked alone for a reason. People couldn't keep their mouths shut. The mage lie detector claimed truth before staring at her. "We're not working for Mather." Her jaw clenched. "We're working to defeat him."

&
nbsp; "Great. Then, we're on the same side," Davis replied with a cold smile.

  "We don't know that."

  "No, but since you broke into my home, it doesn't much matter, does it? I could kill you instantly, regardless of your powers. You have no idea at the extent of the force I have in my household at the moment. You might be able to sense mages, but I have twenty armed men at my disposal and an escape route if I decide to blow up the entire building. So I suggest you listen."

  "We've had eyes on your house for days. We know how many people you employ," Jenira retorted.

  "I have ways of getting men into my house that are not visible to others." Even Jenira, who could not magically separate truth from lie, sensed his honesty. Cold prickled down her spine. Her skills were getting rusty, or this old man presented a larger threat than they realized. "You're lucky that I only consider Mather to be my enemy at the moment. If you're not on his side, then you're on my side. But don't give me cause to change my mind."

  "Magitech," Cat said in her ear. "He's using Magitech security - and not commercial Magitech. It's how he knew you were coming." Evidently, other Magitechs figured out Mather's secret of combining magic and tech before Davin.

  "So?" Davin asked. "Why is Mather stealing from you? That's what we came to find out."

  Davis sat back again, steepling his fingers before him. "I don't know why. Like your girl there," he gestured at Alena, "he employs someone who can tell Magitech from tech or mage. Maybe that's why he's targeting me. I know what he's doing. Don't ask how. I won't tell you. I figured he would attempt to recruit me, but he hasn't tried yet. And you, Rennert, what stakes do you have in this?"

  Jenira shot him a warning glance and nearly groaned aloud when he ignored it. "I am Magitech as well, Davis."

  "Truth," Davis' mage replied, his eyes gleaming.

  Jenira glared at Davin, but he shrugged. "We'll need allies after we defeat Mather, and another Magitech is the best option. There are more of us then we know; it's time to go public anyway."

  Davis nodded. "I agree. Once we dispose of Mather, we need to go public and start bringing attention to Magitechs that are not bent on world domination. Of course, this still makes us business rivals."

  "Of course," Rennert replied just as frostily.

  "And I have no interest whatsoever in joining that fight, by the way. I'm too old. Good luck on bringing Mather down. But when he's gone, let me know. We'll work together to place a Magitech's voice on the council."

  Jenira didn't think it would be as easy as Davis made it sound, but it didn't matter. They'd accomplished their primary goal. The tech mogul wasn't working for Mather, and he was too well-protected to dig further into it. After they defeated Mather, they'd worry about Davenport and his bid for a campaign. Davin had already started the process; it was just a matter of finishing it before public opinion turned against Magitechs.

  "Well, you guys can chat about that later," Jenira said. "We got what we came for." She felt cheated. The night had been horribly disappointing. She only got to kick two heads in, and no one was suitably frightened of her. She sighed inwardly.

  Davin nodded after a moment of consideration. "Very well. We'll be in touch, Davis."

  "Yes, please let me know when Mather is gone. I've been putting my imports on hold to prevent more thefts. I'm eager to get business moving again."

  "You'll let us out uncontested?"

  "Yes, and please use the gate this time. One of my guards will open it." He looked up from the book he'd gone back to studying and stared at Davin. "I expect you to recompense me for my front door."

  Jenira started to turn away but suddenly whirled and approached the desk.

  Davis didn't move, but she noticed the subtle tension rise in his muscles. "What about your son?" His eyes widened imperceptibly in surprise but he didn't say a word. "Travis?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about." Anger flickered in his eyes, the first real emotion he'd shown.

  Jenira had spent a couple hours talking to Cat. His shady background, sudden bid for the council, and her one altercation with the playboy convinced her he was dirty. Davis' reaction suggested ignorance or denial.

  "If you want your merchandise to stop disappearing," Jenira continued, "take your son off import detail. If you doubt me, get your pet lie detector to talk to him."

  The mage stiffened at the word pet, but she'd been referred to as a pet mercenary. She didn't feel any sympathy for him.

  "I still don't know what you're talking about," Davis said.

  "Go through your files. There's evidence that someone is covering up for Travis. I think he's in bed with the enemy."

  "Get out," Davis said through clenched teeth, "before I change my mind about letting you leave easily."

  Jenira stood, still staring at the man. How could someone so smart be so blind to what was going on underneath his nose? He was either not as innocent as he appeared, or his role as a parent crippled him.

  "We'll be in touch," she promised as she led the others out.

  Tension followed them as they passed at least twenty guards in the halls and along the walk to the gate. The gate itself was open. When they finally made it to the van, Jenira released a sigh of relief. Fighting twenty armed men wouldn't have ended well.

  They crawled into the vehicle, Zar dissolving out of the shadows and joining them. Jenira slammed her fist so hard on the dash that the vinyl cracked - small hairline fractures spread outwards. "What a clusterfuck! They knew we were coming and we were outmanned. What the hell, Cat?" She immediately felt sorry for yelling at her sister. Evidently, they were uneducated and unprepared for Magitech. If she had been alone, she would have phased at the first sign of trouble.

  "Sorry," her sister squeaked.

  "Never mind," Jenira grumbled, "it's not your fault. We'll talk when I get back."

  "It didn't go so badly," Alena said quietly. "We learned that Davis is most likely not involved, but his son most likely is. His father is either covering for him or clueless."

  Jenira rested her head on her hands. "It could have been disastrous."

  Davin nodded. "Magitechs are a whole new breed of trouble."

  "Says the Magitech," Alena grumbled.

  Davin shrugged. "I've spent most of my life trying not to rely on my Magitech except for the simplest things. I always kept them separate in my life. I never thought about combining my powers." Regret laced his words.

  Jenira felt his recrimination. She was smarter than this. Her missions went well. They didn't almost end in a bloodbath. Several deep breaths were necessary before she could speak. "Alena's right. We do have more information than we had before. We'll focus on the playboy and Mather. He's the one that matters right now." But she wasn't calm as the roads passed under them on their way back to the castle. She didn't like failing or nearly failing. Their night had only emphasized how unprepared they were to face Mather.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Eden

  Eden was waiting with Alec and Gideon in the sitting room when Alena returned from the mission to see Davis. She'd been on edge since the team left. She'd clearly felt the other mage's fear a couple times during the night, but she couldn't think of any way to help her. Gideon had assisted but didn't have anything more to add. Alec sat quietly with her, rubbing soothing circles on her back to help calm her.

  Jenira stomped inside, followed by the others, and stormed in the direction of the gym where she spent many of her waking hours. Alec and Eden rose to hug Alena. Eden breathed in the scent of the fresh night air that still clung to her skin. Alec's dark eyes followed Jenira's angry form.

  "Did things go wrong?" he asked, leaning back from the trio's embrace to study her face.

  Alena sighed. "Let's go upstairs. I need to lie down." She pulled Eden along the hallway and up the stairs, clearly communicating she wanted both of them with her.

  They stepped into Alena and Alec's bedroom. The other night, the three of them had lain in the oversized bed. They’d talke
d until the sunrise and then slept for a couple hours before Eden snuck downstairs to watch Mac's magic trials. That night, she'd been safely ensconced between the two of them. Tonight, she insisted Alena take the middle space.

  "It wasn't horrible," Alena finally said after they seated themselves against the headboard, each of her hands holding one of theirs. "Did you feel anything, Eden?"

  Eden frowned. They'd all agreed it would be good practice for when Alena faced Mather, but the experience had disappointed her. "Not really," she complained. "I mean, I knew where you were the whole time. I could sense your fear and adrenaline. But nothing else. Could I have felt more? I'm not sure. I don't know what to expect. Gideon said that if I needed to know anything important, it would have come to me. So I guess I didn't need to know anything?"

  "It went completely off plan," Alena confirmed, blowing out a breath. "Jenira dispatched the outer guards, but he'd known we were coming. Either that or he always keeps twenty armed men guarding him at all times."

  Eden stroked her thumb along Alena's wrist. She could feel the other mage's magic burning in her, that subtle buzz that always hummed along her skin.

  "Twenty?" Alec asked curiously.

  "At least," Alena confirmed. "And a mage, a lie detector mage."

  "Hmm," Eden said. Most of the time, she could tell when people lied. If they just stretched the truth, she couldn't detect it.

  "Yeah. Anytime we said anything, Davis would look at his mage, and the mage would confirm the truth. Davis thought we were working with Mather." Eden gasped and Alec frowned. "If the mage lie detector hadn't been there..." She shrugged. "It might not have gone as well."

  "So what happened?" Alec pressed.

  "He was prepared. He had the upper hand from the beginning. He's aware his parts are being stolen, but not how or by whom. Again, though, we couldn't tell if he was telling the truth. He had all the power. Also, he's Magitech."