They’d stopped shooting and were now looking around, their movements choppy. Alex took advantage of their anxiety, prowling in the shadows. She launched knives into their mix.
“What’s that?” one of the guards asked as two of his comrades collapsed to the floor.
Alex stabbed him in the back, then spun to take out the guy beside him.
“A ghost,” a Convictionite gasped, squinting in the dim lighting.
“That’s no ghost,” another said. “Ghosts glow. Everyone knows that.”
“Dimwit! They can make themselves invisible.”
The guards at the front of the group weren’t paying any attention to their spooked companions at the back. They’d resumed shooting at the barrier. Naomi and Marek hadn’t given up either. Bursts of magic shot out across the guards. Alex rolled out of the way, popping up to her feet between two Convictionites, who expelled dual gasps of surprise. She shoved them forward so hard that they collided with their comrades—and the latest cloud of glittery pink Fairy Dust from Naomi. As they tumbled to the ground, the guards’ lines crumbled into disarray. Marek leapt up on top of the crates and unleashed a fierce gust, catapulting the unlucky remaining guards clear across the great hall.
“Are you two all right?” Alex asked.
Naomi limped around the side of the barrier. “We’re fine. But the hybrids are still down here. In cages.” She grimaced. “We found them, but the Convictionites cut us off and we had to retreat. We need to go back for them.”
“The Blood Orb is here too,” Alex said. “But we can’t go for it either. More Convictionites are on their way here from the back.”
“You can sense humans?” Marek asked, finally bandaging up his bleeding shoulder.
“Yes, but they’re not human.” A flood of auras, sick with the stench of pure hatred, slammed against her magic. “They’re Convictionite mages, dark minds warped with irreparable self-loathing.”
“How many?” asked Marek.
“Thirty, thirty-five. I can’t tell exactly. But too many for us, especially right now. We need to move before it’s too late.” She glanced at their bloodied bandages. “Can you run?”
They nodded.
“Good, because we’re going to run like hell out of here. You two go in front. I’ll take the rear. And whatever you do, don’t look back.”
* * *
For the second time that night, Alex pulled out the healing spray from Marek’s cabinet. By the time she was done, what remained of his once-impressive supply of ‘Magic Insta-heal’ had dwindled to only two bottles. The trashcan, overfilling with spent bottles, was a testament to what an utterly shitty night this one had been. And it wasn’t even over. Logan had yet to return. Alex was trying hard not to think about that.
“What happened to you two at the Convictionite base?” she asked.
“It took us some time to locate the precise source of the hybrid magic,” said Marek.
Naomi nodded. “We overheard two guys that sounded like Convictionites and followed them to Sugar. Once inside, they went to a door and disappeared. We followed.”
“The door was guarded,” Alex said.
“She used her charms to distract the guard.”
“Magic?”
“I showed a little cleavage and asked him to buy me a drink. Works every time.”
“As he stared at her, I caught the closing door with my foot. He didn’t even see me.”
“That’s not very professional of him,” commented Alex.
“He wasn’t. While he went off to the bar to get my drink, Marek and I snuck into the back.” Naomi smirked. “How did you get past him?”
“Head-butted him, then stole his keycard and stuffed him into a closet.”
Naomi’s smirk split into a snort. “That sounds like you.”
Alex shrugged. “I was in a hurry. You sounded distressed.”
“Yeah, it turned out we weren’t as stealthy as we thought. We trailed the two Convictionites to a door that led to another underground level, even lower than the first. According to what we
“What’s that?” one of the guards asked as two of his comrades collapsed to the floor.
Alex stabbed him in the back, then spun to take out the guy beside him.
“A ghost,” a Convictionite gasped, squinting in the dim lighting.
“That’s no ghost,” another said. “Ghosts glow. Everyone knows that.”
“Dimwit! They can make themselves invisible.”
The guards at the front of the group weren’t paying any attention to their spooked companions at the back. They’d resumed shooting at the barrier. Naomi and Marek hadn’t given up either. Bursts of magic shot out across the guards. Alex rolled out of the way, popping up to her feet between two Convictionites, who expelled dual gasps of surprise. She shoved them forward so hard that they collided with their comrades—and the latest cloud of glittery pink Fairy Dust from Naomi. As they tumbled to the ground, the guards’ lines crumbled into disarray. Marek leapt up on top of the crates and unleashed a fierce gust, catapulting the unlucky remaining guards clear across the great hall.
“Are you two all right?” Alex asked.
Naomi limped around the side of the barrier. “We’re fine. But the hybrids are still down here. In cages.” She grimaced. “We found them, but the Convictionites cut us off and we had to retreat. We need to go back for them.”
“The Blood Orb is here too,” Alex said. “But we can’t go for it either. More Convictionites are on their way here from the back.”
“You can sense humans?” Marek asked, finally bandaging up his bleeding shoulder.
“Yes, but they’re not human.” A flood of auras, sick with the stench of pure hatred, slammed against her magic. “They’re Convictionite mages, dark minds warped with irreparable self-loathing.”
“How many?” asked Marek.
“Thirty, thirty-five. I can’t tell exactly. But too many for us, especially right now. We need to move before it’s too late.” She glanced at their bloodied bandages. “Can you run?”
They nodded.
“Good, because we’re going to run like hell out of here. You two go in front. I’ll take the rear. And whatever you do, don’t look back.”
* * *
For the second time that night, Alex pulled out the healing spray from Marek’s cabinet. By the time she was done, what remained of his once-impressive supply of ‘Magic Insta-heal’ had dwindled to only two bottles. The trashcan, overfilling with spent bottles, was a testament to what an utterly shitty night this one had been. And it wasn’t even over. Logan had yet to return. Alex was trying hard not to think about that.
“What happened to you two at the Convictionite base?” she asked.
“It took us some time to locate the precise source of the hybrid magic,” said Marek.
Naomi nodded. “We overheard two guys that sounded like Convictionites and followed them to Sugar. Once inside, they went to a door and disappeared. We followed.”
“The door was guarded,” Alex said.
“She used her charms to distract the guard.”
“Magic?”
“I showed a little cleavage and asked him to buy me a drink. Works every time.”
“As he stared at her, I caught the closing door with my foot. He didn’t even see me.”
“That’s not very professional of him,” commented Alex.
“He wasn’t. While he went off to the bar to get my drink, Marek and I snuck into the back.” Naomi smirked. “How did you get past him?”
“Head-butted him, then stole his keycard and stuffed him into a closet.”
Naomi’s smirk split into a snort. “That sounds like you.”
Alex shrugged. “I was in a hurry. You sounded distressed.”
“Yeah, it turned out we weren’t as stealthy as we thought. We trailed the two Convictionites to a door that led to another underground level, even lower than the first. According to what we
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