“I need to see how my traps react to each of you. I want to start with Venni, Ami, and then go to Sarina. After that we’ll do Elliot and Davies. Last will be Mr. Lombardi.”
“Why is he last?” Sarina asked.
“Because he’s powerful in the energy department, and I want to test you guys before risking him breaking my traps.”
“Fair enough,” Venni spoke up. “How do you want to go about doing this?”
I shrugged. “I want you guys to try to break in,” I said. “Do what you think is the best way to get into the building. I’ll shadow you and see what happens. I know where the traps are so this will serve to do two things. Either I’ll find another spot for another trap, or you’ll hit a trap, and I’ll see if it’s effective.”
Everyone nodded.
“All right, I’ll start with Venni first,” I said and grabbed my bag, pulling out a large tablet. I turned it on and signed in using the username and password the security guys had given me. It gave me access to all their cameras. “Everyone else, please stay here until it’s your turn.” I hit a few buttons on the screen. “I just alerted medical so they’re aware in case anything goes wrong.”
“What do you expect to go wrong?” Sarina asked.
I shrugged. “Magic can be finicky, and if not placed right, deadly. I don’t expect anything to happen, but I like to be prepared for worst case scenarios. If Venni loses an arm, I’d rather they were ready to reattach it.”
Sarina paled and looked like she regretted agreeing to help.
I passed out small tokens. “Hold onto these and don’t lose them. They’re going to imitate a baddie based on who you are. It’ll be what activates the traps for you.”
“How does this work?” Lombardi asked as he looked at the small token I handed over. The token was the size of a quarter, black and warm to the touch as it brimmed with the magic I’d infused it with.
I smiled. “Secret,” I said. “Let’s get started.”
Venni just shook his head before heading off. I stayed behind him, taking note of how he acted, where he watched.
He easily spotted the cameras. I wasn’t sure if it was because he already knew they were there or if they were just that easily spotted. It would be one of the questions I asked him at the end. He stayed completely off camera, timing them to slip through during the brief seconds they left a blind spot. He silently worked his way to the side of the building, posture alert, shoulders tense. He would pause to sniff the air before moving on. We came to a point where he would have intersected with patrol, but then he ducked away and hid, crouching in a bush, until the man on patrol passed by. I stayed on his heels, acting as his shadow.
Venni finally found a spot he was happy with and just stood there, looking up to a window on the fourth floor. I eyed the wall, searching possible routes up. I checked the cameras. None of them saw him.
He finally moved, going to climb up. I kept my expression blank as he approached, looking around. The moment Venni touched the wall, the trap activated. Chains came snapping out and wrapped around him, tying him in place.
“Fuck,” he swore and then with the first part of the trap activated, the second one went to work, transporting him. Everything went smoothly on our end.
I used the tablet, flipping through the video feed until I came to the room he should have been moved to, and there he was in all his frustrated glory. He tried to break loose from the bindings. I made my way back to the others while keeping an eye on the screen. He couldn’t get loose. I pressed a few buttons. His vitals were stable.
“How did it go?” Davies asked.
“Success,” I replied and looked up to see everyone staring at me with interest. “Ami, you’re next.”
“Aw, no telling us more about Venni?” Ami asked.
I shook my head. “The less you know, the better,” I replied.
She huffed before moving toward the building. I followed behind like I did with Venni, noting how she wrapped magic around herself that made her invisible on the cameras—for the most part. If I looked close enough, all I could see on the screen was a slight distortion, and that was only because I knew to look for it.
She went a different route, always looking around her as she got closer to her target area. When she got there, she eyed her surroundings again.
There was a tree near the building, but the jump from the furthest branch to the building was one most humans wouldn’t be able to make.
Ami took note of the jump before reaching out to the tree. When her hand met the bark, the trap went off. She made a small moaning noise, and for a second, I thought something had gone wrong by the twisted expression on her face. Before I could react, she disappeared as the trap took her to the new location. I began moving toward the building, checking the camera. She made it to the designated room but was on the floor. I stared at her image, wishing for her to move. When she did, I sighed in relief and stopped moving, watching her.
She looked fine, and when I checked her vitals, they were all normal. Her heart rate was slightly higher than it should be, but not dangerously. She was okay. I’d have to talk to her about what happened before she was moved. That trap was a simple stun and transport, but she looked like she was in pain. I wasn’t into unnecessary pain, even with baddies. I didn’t want to hurt them. I just didn’t want them being able to escape.
I went back to the group. “Success number two,” I said with a grin. Everything just needed to keep going like that.
“Sarina, your turn,” I said.
She nodded, giving me a nervous smile, the confident woman I’d seen earlier was slowly losing it. “Where are the other two?” she asked.
I checked the cameras. They were still in their rooms. Venni was pouting in the corner. Okay, not pouting, but he was sitting in the corner, still bound by the chains and eyeing the door critically. Ami was trying to use her little bit of magic to get out but she wasn’t a match. I could see her frustration growing as she continued to try to leave.
“Still in the rooms. If you guys get caught, I’m going to leave you in there until the end. I want to see if anyone is able to break out. I didn’t put anything in the wards to cause harm if you use your magic. I figured any baddies in there can just tire themselves out instead.”
They nodded their understanding. Sarina didn’t look happy at all, but she still seemed willing.
I smiled at her. “Ready? I need to see what a strong magic user is capable of using against the traps, so throw all you have into staying free.”
Her confidence came back, and she grinned. “Game on.”
I smiled back. “Game on.”
Chapter 17
I followed Sarina as she made her way through the gardens. She moved with confidence, and I could practically see her flipping through different scenarios. Watching her work told me how she became successful in BMS. She had a feeling of callousness to her and looked ready to take on the world, even if that meant getting dirty and punching people in the balls.
I followed her, curious where she was going since we were moving further away from the building. She had cast a quick spell to wrap herself with a cloak, hiding her from all cameras. I even switched the views and nothing was picking her up. The only thing I could sense from her was her magic and that was because of my sensitivity. Others wouldn’t notice. I’d have to file that tidbit away for later. She wouldn’t have been strong enough to break through the ward around the place, but she was good.
She brought me far enough away, close to the ward. When I looked at the cameras, I realized there weren’t any nearby. We had to go about twenty feet in before we came across the first set of cameras. I frowned, frustrated with myself for missing this.
I made a note of it as Sarina drew a magical circle. She stepped through and muttered, weaving a soft spell together. Slowly, she disappeared, her presence still there, but she felt more like a fog. I traced her through the little bit of magic coming off of her, along with the scent of fresh air that seemed
to follow after her.
I followed along, barely keeping up with her presence. She was good. Really good.
But she didn’t account for me. My PhD thesis involved researching different barriers and wards and my research had definitely come in handy.
Sarina went for an open window to slip inside. She touched the building and my barrier activated.
I pulled out a small box and hit the button, tossing it to the ground underneath her. She screamed and guilt ate at me as her body was forced to reform and she fell. The small box exploded and a balloon inflated. She landed, unconscious. She didn’t land near a trap, so she wouldn’t transport into a room. This would be the test of our security guys. The barrier was created to go against those who turned themselves incorporeal. That activated my barrier when they hit it and then it reacted by snapping out, forcing them back to their original form and rendering them unconscious. She would be out for an hour, long enough for security to get out here and detain her.
I sent in a request for medical to come down and collect her. They’d keep track of her vitals and make sure no lasting damage was done to her. I’d need to know about her health after she woke up.
I went back to where Elliot, Davies, and Lombardi waited for me. Two humans and a strong energy user.
When Davies saw me, he broke out laughing. “Is she still alive?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Mr. Lombardi, when this is over, I’ll have to discuss some improvements. Sarina was able to make use of some of our weaknesses, weaknesses that shouldn’t exist.”
Lombardi nodded, staying silent.
“Ready?” I asked Elliot. He didn’t look it but he nodded.
Time to test a pure human and someone as sneaky as Elliot was the perfect one.
For a human, Elliot was breathtaking. He moved with a stealth that put shadowsmiths, our equivalent of ninjas, to shame. He also had more speed than the average human as he moved around the building, avoiding all the cameras. He walked right up to the door leading into a service room, picked it, and walked through my wards. Not even the token set the alarms off. My eyebrows raised in surprise and I followed as he went inside, jumped on the table, and removed the square piece of ceiling so he could climb up.
He hoisted himself up, and I followed, admitting I struggled a little in getting up. When I got up there, the space was tight for us but we managed to crawl through. We didn’t go far until he dropped down, landing in a little corner at the end of a hallway.
I checked the cameras, but he didn’t show up on them, managing to avoid them perfectly. I eyed Elliot, his instincts were fantastic. He worked his way to the stairs, picked the lock on the door, and slipped inside, going up and up until he reached the fifth floor where overnight guests stayed.
“Okay, okay,” I laughed. “You win. I think the real question would be, can you sneak up on a dragon and kill him?”
He chuckled. “I don’t think I want to find out. I’m not good with violence.”
I cocked my head. “Then why do you work here?”
He shrugged. “I may not have the talents of the others here, but I’m useful, and I know I can make a difference. That’s enough for me.”
His simple reasoning brought a smile to my lips. He didn’t rave about doing the right thing, about being strong, better, proving himself. No, that was never Elliot. He was the one who slipped in when others weren’t looking. He was low key and it worked for him. He didn’t need grandiose, he didn’t care about having the notoriety of being a part of BMS. He just wanted to be useful. My crush grew and my fingers twitched, wanting to reach out to him. I shook off my thoughts.
“All right, let’s head back. You’ve given me a lot to think about and more work for our security guys.” I crafted an email to Henzie about possible ways to locate magic-based items being brought in. If we couldn’t track a human, we could at least track the items they’d need to bring with to kill a dragon. Normal weapons wouldn’t be able to do any damage. I made a note to do more research on dragons and their weaknesses.
Elliot smiled as we headed back.
Davies clapped and cheered when he saw Elliot. Lombardi cocked an eyebrow, looking him over for signs of injuries.
“He beat the system,” I said. “Being a pure human is a definite advantage we can’t really fight against, at least not magically. Anyone human and good enough will be putting your security guards to work. They just need to be smart enough to be able to take out a dragon.”
Lombardi looked at Elliot with new respect and nodded. “Good job, Elliot.”
“Yeah, that’s awesome, man,” Davies said.
“Now to see if you can be as good as he is,” I teased Davies.
Davies paled and didn’t look so confident anymore. Lombardi smiled at his reaction while Elliot chuckled.
“You know I can’t do what he did,” he said.
“I know.”
He sighed and began his journey toward the building. His expression was thoughtful as he approached. He kept looking around, assessing possible points of entry.
Davies decided to try climbing a tree. He was fast and nimble, a surprise considering his size. I followed behind, getting more than enough exercise. I was not built to climb trees and crawl through small spaces.
He inched out on the branch and made a jump for the window ledge, grabbing on. The trap tried to react but there wasn’t enough energy in Davies and it fizzled out. He climbed through. I sighed and relied on a little magic to help me glide to the window.
When I crawled inside, he was by the door on the third floor, listening. He grinned at me, and I just smiled and shook my head.
He reached for the doorknob and my trap activated this time. He grunted and fell to his knees before disappearing. I checked the cameras and frowned.
He wasn’t where he should have been. I checked the other cameras, but he wasn’t showing up anywhere.
Shit.
A roaring sound filled my ears as I grappled with what happened.
I lost Davies.
How the hell did I lose him? I flipped through the cameras, thinking I might have missed something. Where in hell’s gates did he go? My stomach churned as a million and one possibilities flickered through my mind.
I bit my lip and pulled out my phone to report Davies missing. I needed them to find him as soon as possible. For all I knew, he could be passed out on top of a volcano, about to burn to death.
Crap. Double crap.
When one of the men in security room answered the phone, I swallowed my pride and admitted to fucking up. “I lost Davies,” I said. “Find him, please. Track token number two. That’s the one he has.”
“Got it,” the man grunted and hung up. Well then.
I closed my eyes and calmed my beating heart. Davies would be fine. He was a resourceful man.
I nodded to myself and headed back outside to Lombardi. The entire time, my limbs felt heavy and my skin prickled with fear. I shook away my thoughts, trying hard to focus. They’d find him. They had to.
Sarina talked with Lombardi with a serious expression on her face. She looked fine, maybe a little pale.
“They cleared you?” I asked.
She nodded. “No problems when I woke up. Not even a concussion.”
“So,” I began. I shouldn’t have lost Davies. “I lost Davies.”
They both stared at me before Sarina broke out in a grin and began laughing hard.
“What do you mean you lost him?” Lombardi asked, his expression serious.
“He got into the building, but not out of the room. He activated the trap. And then disappeared. Security is trying to track him now through the token I gave each of you. I’m hoping for a positive response soon.”
“Oh, Goddess, this is priceless!” Sarina laughed hard, holding onto her stomach. Her hair fell into her face as she bent over. “You, Dr. Porter, are my new best friend.”
Lombardi sighed. “Come on, let’s get this over with,” he said and
strolled away.
Sarina stayed behind, laughing as she pulled out her phone, probably to leave a voicemail to tease him.
Lombardi was definitely one of the badasses in the city who could get through anything. He didn’t set off any of my traps and before I knew it, we were in his office. I wasn’t even sure what he did. One trap he counteracted with his own energy, blowing it away. Another didn’t even sense him. For just a moment, all his energy completely disappeared and he must have extended it to the token I gave him.
“Damn,” I said, impressed. I stretched out on one of his chairs and appreciated the view as he sat down. “That took less than fifteen minutes to do. I hope you don’t plan to storm your own company to slay the dragon.”
“That isn’t even remotely funny,” Lombardi said with a blank face.
Shoot. Did I just anger the Black Dog? I didn’t realize he was so easily riled up.
“Eating clients is bad for business,” he said. His lips twitched when he finished, and I narrowed my eyes.
“Har, har,” I said.
He responded with a soft chuckle as he grabbed his small computer and hit some buttons.
“Now, what are you going to do about losing Davies? I kind of need him. Despite his limitations, he’s one of my best men.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Davies? The same man who likes to capture himself with my prototypes?”
He nodded.
“The same man who asked me, me of all people, to open a jar for him?” Granted, Venni had given him one of those tricky jars that were impossible to open without a little extra oomph from magic. But he didn’t know that at the time. He thought I was Hercules for a week before Venni broke the news to him.
“Yes, him. He’s smarter than he looks.”
“Oh, I know that. I also know he doesn’t like to put his brain to work.”
Lombardi leaned back. “I can’t disagree with that. He does have his moments.”
Something on the computer screen beeped, grabbing Lombardi’s attention.
He scowled.
“This is enough,” he said, getting to his feet.
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