Authors: Elizabeth Lapthorne
What truly set them both apart as Special Ops, though, was
the coolly assessing look in their eyes. These wizards were well used to
gauging other people’s every motion and word and weighing their actions,
judging them as a threat or not, making snap life-and-death decisions. The
unconscious challenge in their gazes and postures set them aside not as
ordinary Mages, but as used to fighting the darkest of forces—and winning. Up
for anything and never surprised, these were the elite operatives of the
wizarding world.
Daniel and Melissa moved over to where the men stood with
Will, the agents’ body language languid and cool, Will’s more aggressive.
Daniel stood next to the Special Op agents, Melissa next to Will as they formed
a semicircle in the main living area of Ryder’s home.
The impression Melissa got of Ryder’s home was one of
warmth, comfort and a typical—albeit neatly kept—bachelor’s pad. A couch, one
comfortable easy chair, TV and stereo system…the feel of the apartment was one
of regular use and an adult male who didn’t overly concern himself with how the
place looked as long as it was clean.
“Daniel Cranston,” Daniel introduced himself firmly before
nodding his head toward Melissa. “And this is Melissa Geyton, who is consulting
with me on this mission. She was a particular friend of Falconn’s and we have
reason to understand this is the work of the same freak?”
Daniel’s oblique introduction suited Melissa’s purpose well.
Even though she knew in her gut that she would soon need to choose between
keeping her skills as an Assassin a closely held secret or coming out into the
open, she wasn’t prepared to make such a life-altering decision quite yet.
Daniel had introduced her as connected with Falconn, which rationally and
completely explained her association with Daniel and this case. Not many would
question her further, and none could prove any deeper connection at this time.
It was perfect.
The two Special Operatives exchanged a long, speaking glance
in which they seemed to be discussing something silently between them. Finally
the scruffy agent spoke sharply. “Hayden Foxworth,” the dark-haired, dark-eyed
man said with a curt nod. “He’s Ben Anders. Special Ops. We’ll give you a
minute to speak to your captain and put your name on the entry to crime scene
list, but then we’ll need to talk.”
Will mumbled something under his breath, not quite audible
as he ground his teeth and chewed the hell out of his unlit cigar. The two
agents remained standing with them for a moment as if to prove that it was
totally their
choice
to give them a moment, clearly showing the crew who
had power in Ryder’s home and over the crime scene…for now. After a moment they
simultaneously moved away, leaving Daniel, Melissa and Will with some privacy.
“Magical Circe, man,” Daniel ground out the instant the two
agents were out of earshot. “Unless you want your career in the wizarding world
to end before it’s truly begun, do
not
fuck with those guys.”
“Will,” Melissa agreed reluctantly, “I’m sure you have
cowboys and power-driven assholes in your government agencies too, but these
guys have some serious talent. They are only answerable to the Tribunal and
themselves. If they think someone has gone rogue and can present sufficient
evidence, they are licensed to dispense justice however they see fit. If they
can prove they were protecting innocent lives and the wizard they killed was a
threat, they are above reproach. These are not agents to trifle with.”
“I just hate it when people with bigger boots come in and
take over something I’m in the middle of,” Will replied. He seemed to calm down
as he chewed and looked between them. “But enough of that—we probably only have
a minute or two. Summarize things quickly for me. What the hell is going on?”
“We aren’t precisely sure,” Daniel admitted. “Isacar is a
well-known wizard of great power. He can sense in growing witches and wizards
what forms their magic may take, and can often help to guide them onto the correct
path. He has a particular talent for helping those with the more violent forms
of magic to find balance and stay on the straight and narrow. He has mentored
hundreds, perhaps thousands of us over the years. He’s a member of the magical
Tribunal and is an integral part of those who decide the fate of most dark
manuscripts that surface.”
“Ryder was a particularly close protégé of his,” Melissa
added as Daniel paused. “Daniel had worked with him in the past, as had Falconn,
so we approached him.”
“We met up with him just yesterday afternoon,” Daniel said.
“Asked him to put in a few calls, probe for some answers. He thought it was a
joke, and while he knew about Falconn and that this wasn’t some game, none of
us thought it would be anywhere near this serious.”
“Well, it’s as serious as it gets now,” Will said. “These
assholes are making noises about forming a new crew, taking over the murders
entirely. If a team is arranged by these Special Op guys, and worse, condoned
by the Tribunal, then you can kiss any chance of solving it among ourselves
goodbye. I know how important this is to you especially, Melissa, so I’d urge
you both to finish this as quickly as possible. I’ll give you any assistance I
possibly can. The majority of my network is in the human world, obviously, but
you’d be amazed how much use that might be. If you can think of anything I can
do to aid you, just call.”
Melissa smiled, genuinely touched by Will’s obvious
commitment to their success.
“Thank you,” she replied. “I guess for now the main thing
you can do is keep those agents off our backs while Daniel and I try to get
what information we can from the scene.”
Will smirked. “Oh a woman after my own heart,” he said. “I
would very much like to go another verbal round with those two. But I have to
warn you, they’re only the point group. I overheard them on the phone earlier,
and few more partnerships will be congregating here soon. We don’t have much
time.”
“Great,” Melissa replied sarcastically. “It’s like sharks at
feeding time, scenting the blood. Just hold them off as long as you can.”
Melissa looked around the entryway where they had all
congregated and took a deep, calming breath before penetrating farther into
Ryder’s apartment. As quickly as she could, she took in everything about the living
area, beginning with the furnishings, paintings and prints hanging on the walls
and finishing with the dead body sprawled on the carpeted floor.
The similarities between Ryder’s death and Falconn’s struck
Melissa like a physical blow to her body. Straightening her legs and locking
them in place, she refused to waver as she breathed slowly and deeply, almost
in a meditative trance as she tried to keep the memories and tears from
assailing her.
Carefully, she opened her magical senses, jacked herself up
and studied the scene before her with more than just her natural talents. Once
again the sickening, overpowering stench of something so very
wrong
washed over her like a wave. As she had thought, time had dulled her memory of
the twisted nature of the conflicting, barely held-together essences. The
wizard had created such an unnatural whole that it left a residue that made her
feel as if she were trying to accept something that simply could not exist.
“Now do you understand?” Melissa said quietly to Daniel, who
remained stock-still beside her as he too soaked in everything he could gather
about the scene. He nodded, a muscle in his jaw twitching. Melissa wondered
whether he felt as sick as she did when in the presence of the essence. She
cast a quick glance at his face and felt confident that he did from the fine
sheen of sweat on Daniel’s temples. To her he appeared to be struggling under a
great weight and she knew he found the residue of the essence as distressing as
she did.
“How could something this…unnatural be around us and we
can’t tell?” Daniel asked, his voice thick with revulsion.
“I’m not sure,” she replied. “This is so…unmistakable. You
would assume it would be like a neon sign. But think about it. We can all tell
who is magical and who is not—most of the time at least—but despite what you
would hope, you can’t sense what the essence inside each of us feels like.
Trackers might be able to sense it, as they can hone in on an actual signature.
I’ve never heard of anyone else having a talent like Isacar’s, but he too could
possibly discover this person.
“The Enforcers we saw outside,” Melissa added, “I bet they’ll
have a few Trackers on this, assuming it does any good.”
They went to work then, going over the scene with their
senses heightened and gathering the best understanding of what had occurred
quickly and professionally. A few minutes later they heard Will’s voice raise
in faint antagonism as he distracted the two agents, who had apparently returned.
“I want to know what the official channels are that I need
to pursue to retain custody of this case,” Will said loudly, his voice gruff
and firm. “I’m still rather new at all this but I’m more than willing to learn.
Surely you aren’t the all-powerful and all-knowing. I presume there’s a
sequence of events I can follow to remain in the loop of all this?”
Melissa was only able to hear Will’s side of the
conversation with her senses jacked up, as he was speaking loudly enough to
draw attention to himself and away from her and Daniel. She couldn’t hear the
exact responses of the two agents, focused as she was on her frustration over
not discovering anything worthwhile from Ryder’s death.
“I can call the team leader…truly is how it will be for
now…taking this very seriously…”
“Even had we not worked out that the killer’s one of us, I’d
suspect it now,” Melissa said quietly to Daniel as they met over Ryder’s body.
“This scene is far too clean,” he agreed. “Except for the
essence left behind, there’s practically nothing of use.”
“Why doesn’t he mask his essence?” She frowned. “I mean, he’s
obviously powerful and not afraid to use whatever rituals and magic he can get
his hands on. So why leave such an identifying marker when he keeps everything
else so very clean?”
“Maybe he doesn’t know about his essence?” Daniel replied
doubtfully.
Melissa caught his gaze and struggled to keep her mind on
the task at hand. Wicked thoughts seemed to sneak up on her at unusual moments.
“Okay, not the most likely of explanations,” he agreed, “but
still. Possibly he hasn’t been aware of it until now…or maybe still isn’t aware
of it. I don’t know of a ritual off the top of my head that would help to mask
his essence—it might take time for him to sort that out.”
“Or maybe he just doesn’t care,” she hypothesized. Footsteps
sounded nearby and Melissa slowly pulled back her senses as the realization
sank in that her chance to study the scene had now passed.
Hayden came toward them, a wry grin on his face and his
hands in the pockets of his large jacket.
“That’s quite a captain you have there,” he remarked as he
stood by Ryder’s feet. “You’d never guess at first glance that he wasn’t a
powerful wizard.”
“Humans have a power all their own,” Daniel remarked coolly.
Hayden, either ignoring or unable to hear the barely
concealed disdain in Daniel’s tone, nodded amicably.
“And Will Alcott certainly appears to,” Hayden agreed.
“Look, I know you both want to be involved in this and I’m not going to stop
you. I just don’t want you rehashing stuff we’re already covering, nor do I
think it an appropriate use of your time to step on our toes and undermine our
authority. I’m hoping we can find some middle ground here. What do you say?”
Melissa bristled but had to admit that for a member of the
Special Operatives, Hayden had been almost polite in his little speech. Daniel
merely stood by her side, his shoulder pressed lightly against hers to show
their solidarity. As he didn’t speak immediately, she knew he was letting her
figure their reply out as she wished.
Grateful, Melissa turned her head and caught Daniel’s gaze
with her own. They exchanged a slow look, communicating without the need for
words.
Still somewhat ruffled, she turned back to Hayden and tilted
her head slightly in acknowledgement of his attempt to be nice.
“I believe we will have a day, perhaps two, before the new
team is formed and set in motion?” Melissa guessed. Hayden grinned—a wry,
amused look that spread over his face and made him look even scruffier, though
less intimidating. He scratched at the stubble on his chin, then ran a hand
through his black hair, rumpling it slightly. With a sigh and a shrug, he gave
in.
“Yes, Geyton, you still have something between twenty-four
and forty-eight hours to solve the case,” he replied more dryly than sarcastically.
“We’re not all a bunch of assholes, you know. Sure, we’re used to doing things
purely our own way, with no one to hover or breathe down our necks. But that
doesn’t make us a group of arrogant idiots who answer to no one. We answer to
our partners, and more importantly to our own consciences. You see half the
shit I’ve witnessed and you’d be amazed how clear-cut and well-defined some
things suddenly become.”
“You always work with partners?” she asked, surprised.
Hayden nodded.
“Oh yeah—it means that to one degree or other we
do
actually answer to someone,” he explained. “But more importantly it means we
have someone to help us, keep us anchored. It means we have a trusted person to
watch our back—someone we can rely on no matter what goes on around us.”
Melissa found some reassurance in the knowledge that they
were self-aware enough as a group to know that such absolute power was far more
likely to corrupt than to give freedom to move and make things happen without
all the bureaucratic paperwork that justice usually became snared and caught up
in.
“A day or two,” Melissa repeated solemnly, the words a
promise. “I’m sure we’ll bump into each other soon after that—we can
renegotiate then. I can’t just hand this over. I’m not trying to take over your
turf or set out to prove who has the bigger balls. But while there’s a chance I
can keep going, I need to. I hope you can understand that.”