“Don’t be shy,” Venni said, urging me to dig in. “When was the last time you ate?”
“Uh.”
Alijah’s eyes narrowed. “Did you eat today?”
“Um.” I looked away, inspiring complete confidence in my answer. I shook my head. “I ate dinner yesterday.”
Three different scowls threw me off. They did not like that answer. I sighed and went over, digging out my food. It was easier to just eat it instead of arguing with them.
Chapter 14
Between the four of us, the food was quickly devoured. Venni ended up sticking around while the other two got called to handle some situation. They promised to be back but said I’d better not be here when they came back. They wanted me home and in bed.
Venni smiled and shook his head as we cleaned up. I wiped down the counter and shifted everything back into place.
“What do you have planned for the rest of the day?” Venni asked.
“I need to go harass Lombardi about this weekend. I want to fix up the wards then. Maybe get some of these traps placed.” I went over to the duffel bag and opened it, showing him the devices inside.
His face pinched as he came closer, no doubt he could feel the remnants of the magic inside as it settled. In another hour, they would be undetectable.
“How about while I go talk to Lombardi, you find spots for these?” I asked. I dug out a smaller version of the map.
Venni nodded and hoisted up the duffel bag, unfazed by the weight as he grabbed the booklet and flipped through it quickly. I’d already made note of all the locations I wanted a trap. For now, we just needed them in place. Later, I’d make some adjustments so the traps fit better to their surroundings, and then activate them.
“You aren’t going to activate these until tomorrow at the earliest. You need to rest.”
He turned and walked out the door. I rolled my eyes at his seriousness. It was charming but unnecessary. I knew my limit—I pushed it on a daily basis.
And I knew I had enough magic to pop in on Lombardi. I grinned as I closed my eyes and reached out toward the wards around his office. I imagined the space as I remembered it the last time.
My body tingled. There was a moment of weightlessness and then my feet landed on something solid.
I opened my eyes to see Mr. Lombardi glaring at me.
“You can’t keep doing that,” he said, his voice deeper, darker.
“It’s easier,” I shrugged. “And I’m too tired to travel up here the good old fashioned way.”
His eyes narrowed as they flickered over my features, taking note of the dark circles no doubt painted underneath my dark green eyes or my extra pale skin.
“So you think using magic despite your body being at its limit is better?” he asked, not impressed.
“My body is fine.” I dismissed his accusation. “Can I talk to you?” I looked around. “Or are you busy?”
“You’re already here, we might as well talk.”
I grinned. “Great,” I said and plopped down on one of his plush chairs, sinking in. I needed to ask him how he’d managed to capture a cloud because it sure felt like I was sitting on one.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Can I have about three hours over the weekend?” I asked. “I’ll need the property completely empty to set up the wards and integrate it with the current ones, and from there we can work on giving employees access.”
Lombardi leaned back, remaining quiet as he mulled over my request. I knew it wasn’t an easy one. The security company pretty much ran twenty-four seven, someone always around because of a mission, or a report, or to plan. We even had guest rooms in the building. To ask to clear the building would be a huge challenge, but I knew Lombardi could do it.
“How exactly is this going to work?” he asked.
I cleared my throat, shifting in the seat to get comfortable. His piercing eyes attempted to nail me in place.
“We can do it at a time when the least amount of people are in the building. I would need the building cleared and then two hours at most to get the wards into place. With it just being me, it’s going to take time. After that I can adjust the ward so that only the select few you trust will be able to give access to the employees. Then as employees come back, they’ll be given access.”
“How will this work with guests?” he asked. “I have someone coming in early next week for the day.”
“Great,” I grinned. “They can test out the new system then. They’ll need a little charm.” I dug in my pocket and pulled out a small wooden plaque, about the size of three of my fingers pushed together. I dangled it from my finger off of a dark purple ribbon.
Lombardi cocked an eyebrow. “So as long as someone has that, they’ll be able to get in. Not a good security measure.”
“Doesn’t work like that,” I said, shaking my head. “This is only one layer. The other layer is that they’ll need someone with the right clearance to escort them past.”
“Why not just have it so someone with clearance can bring them through?” Mr. Lombardi asked, and I realized something.
He was playing with me, trying to challenge me by poking holes in my plans.
I grinned at that. He really was a good leader. He didn’t berate us, he asked questions, made us explain ourselves, and maybe then we would either talk him into agreeing with us or we would see the error of our ways.
So far, I wasn’t finding anything wrong with my plan.
“Because guards can be bribed,” I answered confidently. “But you can’t. These,” I swung the little plaque, “come from you directly or someone you trust completely. Only a select few will have the ability to bestow them upon the visitors. And if someone other than the visitor holds onto this, the magic will reject them. The guard is just another added layer so if someone does manage to find this, without your knowledge, then they won’t be able to just walk through. The security guard will act as a check against them.”
“Unless they steal the plaque and bribe my security officer.”
“Well, like I said, if this isn’t bestowed upon them, then they won’t be able to get through.”
“You’re giving me more tasks to handle.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re hands on,” I replied, enjoying our little back and forth. “You’ll have no problem dealing with this extra bit because it gives you more control.”
He snorted but didn’t complain as we went further into the details. By the end, he looked impressed.
“I’ll give you Saturday morning,” he said.
“Perfect.” I figured it would be around that time. Most people would still be sleeping or just getting up to get ready for work.
Not many would need to be at the company. Some would be asleep in the building, others coming in for some overtime over the weekend. We could easily get them access without having to deal with a flood of impatient employees who only wanted to go home for the day or to solve an issue they were stuck on.
Monday would be when the craziness started as we gave the bulk of employees access.
“We’ll go with that,” Lombardi said. “It’ll be good for the company to have an upgrade with their security. Do it early so when they come in later on in the morning, they won’t be as affected.
I nodded. I could work with that.
Chapter 15
I glared at the slowly rising sun. I wasn’t a big morning person and the sun always felt like it was laughing at me. I enjoyed the mystery of the night. In the morning, everything just looked... dull.
People grumbled around me as they waited for me to do my business before letting them back in. I just needed the all-clear signal from Lombardi to begin. I didn’t want anyone inside while the wards were updated.
A pixie fluttered around a giant and something that had the giant laughing, the abrupt sound harsh in the early morning air, making me jump.
I really hated mornings. I should have been curled up in my bed, having sweet dreams of some hot mea
theads, and a certain Black Dog. Instead I stood here, getting glared at by colleagues not happy with having their plans disrupted.
I ignored them as I eyed the propped open, tall metal gate, waiting for the last few people to come out.
After another ten minutes, Alijah and Rhett came out the front door with a huffy woman. I smiled politely as she came out but she ignored me.
Alijah closed the doors and met up with me, standing at my back as I put down my heavy duffel bag. I pulled out a small box and grabbed the first potion, handing it to Alijah. He grabbed it without a word, and I dug through the bag, pulling out the small booklet. I stood back up, nearly bumping into Lombardi as he waited for me.
“Sorry,” I muttered, my thoughts already on the task before me and all the steps needed to make it work.
“How are we doing this?” he asked.
“I’m going to set up my circle. I need you guys to go to the four corners and leave seven drops of the potion at each spot.”
I show them the locations on the map. I had marked true North, East, South, and West. I’d draw on the four corners to strengthen the ward. It took more time but was worth it. I could have used other methods to strengthen it, like a mixture of earth, bone, and rock set up around the property, but those were easy to break if people knew what to look for. They would just need to remove one of the elements.
I put half the contents into another vial and handed it to Lombardi so they could go in separate directions.
“Be back,” Alijah said before taking off. Lombardi went the other way.
I dug out the chalk, choosing a clean spot on the blocked off road, and drew my protective circle. I didn’t want people to piggyback my spell to get access to the wards, and using this simple method would prevent that.
I carefully drew the circle, infusing it with my magic—with thoughts of protection.
By the time I finished, they were back.
“Don’t interrupt me,” I warned, pulling out the second vial. “And don’t let anyone interrupt. Protect that circle with your life. There’s going to be a lot of magic in there and if I’m disrupted, it’ll be the equivalent of a bomb going off.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve had to do this, Dr. Porter. Your circle won’t be broken, and no one will disturb you,” Lombardi said.
I nodded and stepped through the opening before closing it behind me.
Already the magic crackled along my skin, knowing something fun was about to happen.
I uncorked the vial and wrinkled my nose at the sour smell. This spell was not going to be pleasant.
Without hesitation, I tossed back the contents, holding back a gag at the sour taste. I closed my eyes and gave the potion a moment to kick in. I knew the instant my magic got a boost because the ground rumbled.
I opened my eyes, my hands ready to move, to begin orchestrating the magic to do my bidding. I built up the image in my head of an impenetrable ward, preventing anything with magic or energy from passing through without permission. I drew up the little bit of energy I could from my surroundings and weaved it into the magic in small doses to help push the ward’s capabilities in picking up energy signatures—the most important part.
Releasing a slow breath, I closed my eyes, letting the circle fill to the top with magic and swirls of energy. I reached out carefully, keeping a firm grip on everything in the circle, to feel the current ward and imagined the new one as a soft blanket, draping over it, creating an extra layer of security and safety.
When the image in my head was just as real as the current ward, I took the magic and bled it slowly into the ward, keeping the image complete, focus sharp. I fed the ward little by little, giving the two magics time to integrate together, for the old ward to accept what I wanted. I had to reach deep into the current ward to make some adjustments, to make it more amenable. The drops Lombardi and Alijah placed around the perimeter went a long way in helping.
Feeding the new ward took time and patience, something I had an abundance of. I kept the trickle at a steady pace, never slowing down. The aches in my shoulders and arms were pushed to the back of my mind. The back of my neck burned as the sun’s rays pounded against it. My legs shook, but I held still, focused. I was getting there. The old ward ate up the new one with determination, understanding it needed the boost and willing to accept it.
After I fed in the last little bit of magic, I just stood and waited as it all expanded around the property, reaching to the very top and all the way across. The magic wavered around as it adjusted to its new commands. It tested its boundaries and only after it finally calmed and settled did I opened my eyes and relax my body.
Wavering on my feet, I wiped at my face, brushing off the sweat that covered my skin. The sun’s rays against my skin felt raw at the moment, my body overheated. Exhaustion pulled at me but I smiled, mentally thanking the magic for doing what I asked of it. It seemed to flare briefly in response before quieting down.
I held in a yawn as I glanced around, noting that the sun was much higher in the sky, probably mid-morning. It had taken more than the two hours I’d hoped for. It would explain why my feet ached. I had stood there for hours.
Turning, a smile formed when I spotted Lombardi and Alijah still standing guard. The crowd had dwindled down to only a couple of people, the others probably finding something more productive to do with their time.
I sensed the remaining people as strong beings, ones who would be able to watch and take note of exactly what I did. I flashed them a challenging smile. They could try to repeat what I did, but I doubted they would be able to succeed. The energy was the trick and not many could do that amount of magic and toss in the energy too. I could reach out to the energy around me and pulled onto it and it listened to me. Others wouldn’t be so lucky.
I stuck my foot out and rubbed at the ground until the circle broke. There was a soft pop and fresh air swooped in, surrounding me. I took in a deep breath, noting the smell of ozone with a drop of cinnamon from my magic, glad to be finished.
With the ward in place, we needed to allow the employees entrance through the ward.
~ * ~
I blew out a tired breath as I wiped the sweat from my face. The sun was high in the sky and my stomach rumbled with hunger. We’d been at it for a couple of hours, giving employees access to go through the wards without being hindered and it was a tiring process.
First, I had to give complete access to a handful of employees, including Lombardi and those he trusted. I was surprised I could give it to Lombardi. I didn’t even know he could manipulate magic. I knew magic was drawn to him, but I didn’t realize he could actually do something with it. The man surprised me every time.
By giving them access, it allowed them to key others to the ward, that way they didn’t need to rely on me to do it. That would get old real fast and would definitely burn me out.
That process alone was tiring. I had to mix their blood with my own and feed it into the ward along with a mixture of our magic.
Then we got to work giving all the employees connected to the ward. I didn’t realize how big the company was until Lombardi told me he had nearly a thousand employees. Some of them only came in when they needed to report in, others were contracted for one reason or another, and we just had that many meatheads and administrators in the building, plus instructors and trainers. Having all their records on my computer didn’t come close to giving me an idea of how many people that really was. Not until today.
With each employee, we took only a drop of their blood and mixed it with our magic, and fed that to the ward. One after another, they just kept coming. My fingers grew raw from all the pinpricks I was making to get a bit of my blood.
“I need to sit,” I said to the woman working next to me. She was one of Lombardi’s executive assistants. The man had three. She nodded as she worked with a woman who stood a good three feet taller than us. By her rough skin, and the hard texture, she had to be a descendant of a giant. Not directly, but so
mewhere in her bloodline, a giant had joined the family tree.
I walked over to the bench and plopped down, my body shaking slightly from constant use. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, letting the life of nature wash over my skin, slowly rejuvenating me without overtaxing themselves.
“You need to rest,” Lombardi said, breaking my peace.
I straightened to see him frowning at me. He sat down next to me, his thigh brushing against mine. His energy jumped into the fabric of my jeans and tingled along my skin.
“And I will,” I said.
He leaned back. I wanted to move closer to him, to draw comfort from the energy that came off of him. But I didn’t; I kept myself still instead. I didn’t need people seeing me pushed up against Big Boss. Rumors would spread like wildfire, and I didn’t need that.
“Tell me about the intricacy of this new ward. I want to know the weaknesses.”
I nodded.
“Visitors are always a weakness. The only way they’re getting through is with a charm and an escort.”
“What if they lose it or one gets stolen?”
“The charms will have a small tracker on them so we can easily locate them.”
Lombardi nodded. “But if a person I designate as an escort decides to betray us?”
“Then you’ll have people here you don’t want. You’ll have to choose carefully who you trust.”
He nodded. “I have a few strong candidates.”
“The types you trust with your life?” I sent a smile his way.
He grinned back, flashing his teeth. “Only the best.”
“Good.”
“What else?”
“No ward is indestructible. I created this with that intent. This ward will turn away the weaker beings, but those powerful enough, they’ll make it through. It won’t be easy, but they’ll figure it out, I’m sure. If they are determined enough.”
“How?”
“They have to make themselves not exist. They’ll have to mask both their energy and magic, along with the basic security cloak. There are a couple powerful spells that can help them do this, but they’re complicated and intricate spells. The smallest mistake will make the spell useless.” I glanced up at the blue sky and narrowed my eyes as I thought about it. “I’d say the equivalent of a level A magic user will be able to pull it off. Last I checked there are ten of us in this city that powerful. But I don’t know about the other places.”
Magical Intentions Page 13