Legacy of the Mad Mages Read online

  There was a door leading towards the front of the house, presumably the dining room. To their right was a small door that stood wide open and revealed a fully stocked pantry. Granted, it was fully stocked with boxes of instant mac and cheese, canned soup cereal, and other such early bachelor delights, but still, the shelves were full of food.

  Just to the side of that was a doorway with no door that led into what seemed to be a hallway, and it was toward that they moved, Caroline close behind Darien. He stopped for a moment before entering the hallway, and they carried on down to a smaller room. Voices rumbled inside, and Darien signaled for Caroline to stop and stay quiet. He pulled a small gadget from one of his pockets and unwrapped a wire from around the small box. The wire got slid under the gap beneath the door, and the box was fixed to the wall just above the baseboard.

  Turning, Darien handed an earbud to her and she silently raised it to her ear.

  “… these will inspire action, though?” A voice suddenly said, clear as day.

  “Because I have chosen these pieces specifically. This robe, Mayor Deans, was worn by a prominent elven enchanter. Even humans still celebrate his work, even though they revile him in their history books for his beliefs.” Amberlight said. His voice was almost a purr and Caroline could hear the oily charm being poured, full force, into the conversation.

  “I’m excited to see how this all plays out, Amberlight. I won’t lie to you, I wasn’t sure how well I would do in this next election,” a third voice said, sounding pleased. “But I think that with your support, I could actually win this thing.”

  “Of course. People see the misery in the world and are simply ascribing it to the wrong sources,” Amberlight purred again. “A return to tradition will solve most of the ills we suffer. With elves in our proper place, we can set the world back to rights, and I believe that people know this, almost instinctively. They simply have to be reminded.”

  There was a soft rustle of fabric and a few chuckles. “Does it suit me?” Mayor Deans asked, sounding pleased.

  “Perfectly,” Amberlight said.

  “I think so, too a matter of fact. Very regal.” There was a soft rumble of laughter and another soft whisper of fabric.

  “Well, I certainly wouldn’t object to those of us who actually understand how magic should work being in positions of leadership. I hate to have to pander to magicless humans, or worse, that shifter we have in the Senate. Supposedly representing our state.” The last bit was said with a snarl.

  “Senator Pines must go, you are absolutely correct there,” Amberlight agreed. “Removed from any sort of power and caged like the animal he is. Nasty things, shifters.” The disgust in Amberlight’s voice would be clear to anyone who listened to the recording. The gadget was automatically streaming everything the mic picked up, and one of the computers back at headquarters was saving every word.

  Darien stared at Caroline, wide-eyed. As soon as they finished the arrests tonight, they needed to make sure that Senator Pines’ security staff was alerted.

  “Ugh, I loathe shifters,” Mayor Deans agreed. “Not that I can say anything like that outside of groups like this. Too many ears, too many possible idiots with cell phone cameras who think they’re citizen reporters or some such garbage. I can’t wait to get into the governor’s mansion. I have big plans, my friend. Regulations to put into place. I’ll be glad to have your help.”

  “Me too, though I’m starting a bit closer to the ground than Deans, here. But I’ll be happy to work with you from the state senate,” The third man said. There was some more rustling and the sound of dishes clinking. Caroline decided that they must have toasted each other or something, the smug jerks.

  Darien was frowning at his phone, then flashed it up to show her the message.

  Arrest everyone in the damn room. We’re moving in twenty.

  Okay, then. She raised her eyebrows at Darien and gestured between them, asking if it would be just the pair of them going in. He shrugged, then grimaced and nodded. Then, he stopped again, and shook his head, and tapped on the phone for a moment before holding it back up.

  I’m going to go get the agent out front. If there’s any security in there, or in the house at all, we’ll need more hands.

  She nodded her agreement. She was pretty good in a fight now, after a year of training with Peaches, but still. She was only human and if there were any paranormals on the security teams it could get dicey. Darien signaled for her to stay there, then slipped away down the hall and through the kitchen door. She turned her attention back to the conversation in her earbud.

  “— to work with those creatures. The closest FPAA office is headed by a damned troll of all the idiotic things. And they’ve got one of the most diverse offices in the country. They brag about it, for God’s sake, like it’s something to be proud of to work with ogres and shifters and even a vampire if you believe that!” Deans’ voice was heavy with disgust and outrage. “And I have to let them traipse all over my city, anytime they want to! I can’t even tell my own people to only hire elves without being told I would be accused of discrimination! Of course, I’m discriminating! I don’t want animals doing the work of rational creatures. I wouldn’t hire orangutans, either, but I’m not accused of discriminating against them. I suppose human mages are all well and good. I can’t deny I’ve seen some decent spell casting from the humans. But still. It’s infuriating to be dictated to like this. I assure you I will be changing things once I get up that next step.”

  Caroline wasn’t sure which shocked her more– the fact that anyone actually said things like that, or the pure, blind hatred lacing through each word. He actually believed the garbage he was spewing.

  “And I’ll back you the whole way. Are you serious, there are ogres and vampires in the FPAA? I can’t—”

  Caroline’s attention was ripped away from the conversation by a huge boot that stopped right in front of her, where she crouched by the door. Grimacing, she looked up to find the rest of the huge human thug staring down at her with a bemused expression. He reached up and knocked— well, pounded, really— on the door and the voices stopped.

  “Boss? We’ve got an uninvited guest.”

  23

  Caroline stood, the earbud in her hear crackling with the noise in the room and her own movement. She reached up and pulled it out and shoved it in her pocket with a shrug, never taking her eyes off the man’s face. For his part, he looked grudgingly impressed, until the door opened, when his expression slid back toward neutral.

  “What have we here?” Amerlight hissed. It was Caroline’s first good look at the man, and he didn’t disappoint. Tall and slender, with hair almost the same color as the citrine necklace her mother wore for special occasions, a bright, sunlight-filled hue. It was pulled back and caught by a tie of some sort in the same half-ponytail that the ridiculous guard-elf from earlier had worn, but Amberlight didn’t wear a costume. He wore modern clothing that hinted at the tunic-and-breeches look modeled by the guard they had already arrested. His pale blue linen shirt flowed over neatly tailored dark brown trousers and had vines full of leaves and flowers embroidered around the cuffs and hem. He finished off the look with several silver bangles on his wrist and soft leather boots.

  Overall it was a polished, modern look for an elf trying to look traditional, and Caroline didn’t know why she was so surprised.

  “Found her listening in at the door. Don’t know what she heard, or what she was going to do with the information, but judging by how she’s dressed in tactical gear, I’d say she probably knows what happened to Silvyr,” the thug answered.

  He herded her into the room and she went easily. When Darien got back with help, that was the time to fight back. Right now she was severely outnumbered, and the three security guys in the room were distinctly not human. Them, plus the mountain of a man at her back, and the politicians in the room? Not that she expected those two to get their hands dirty, but she wasn’t going to count them or Amberlight out. Caroline al
one didn’t have a chance in hell of winning that fight.

  “So, little human,” Amberlight purred. “I doubt very much that you were able to disarm and abduct one of my security staff. Who do you have with you then? And where are they?”

  Caroline smirked, goading him. “Actually, your little thugling went down like a ton of bricks. I’ve had harder sparring matches against hungover newbies.” She didn’t need to mention that the newbie in question was an already well-trained bear shifter, but what Amberlight didn’t know…

  She peered around the room, trying to memorize every detail she could see. All the stolen artifacts were displayed either on pedestals except for the robes which hung on a mannequin in a manner that suggested they had been put back haphazardly.

  “Who are you? Who do you work for?” Mayor Deans barked his questions. Caroline could hear the edge of panic in his voice, though she doubted anyone else did.

  “Why Mayor Deans? Nervous?” Caroline let a grin creep across her face. “You probably should be. Sitting in a room and gloating over all this stolen property like this. Planning treasonous acts. Hoping, no doubt, to be part of the supposed elven takeover of the United States?”

  Deans choked on his breath and glared at the third man when he slapped Deans on the back.

  “And just what would you do about it?” Amberlight stalked up to her, his gaze raking down her body dismissively. “Even if you heard every word of our planning since we came in here, there’s nothing you can do if you can’t tell anyone. And you won’t have that chance. You and your little recording will disappear, and within five years this will be a nation under elf rule. Then we can see about restoring the true rulers to the rest of the world.”

  Caroline gaped at him. “Holy crap. You actually believe that crap. You’re actually crazy.”

  “It sounds that way at first listen, I’m sure. Especially to a short-sighted human like you. But our plans are fairly solid, young lady,” Deans growled, finally able to speak again.

  Amberlight chuckled and turned away from her and walked back to a small table with a wineglass on it.

  “Wherever your partner is— and I know you have one. I don’t believe for a moment that you were able to disarm and subdue one of my men– but wherever and whoever your partner is, they are not here. So they cannot help you now. Ben, take her to the cellar and dispose of her however you see fit. Just try not to make a mess. I shall send some others to help you clean up after the feast.”

  “Whatever you say, boss,” the giant human— Ben— said. Caroline heard the first note of uncertainty in his voice.

  “I really would suggest you not pull that sort of stunt,” Caroline said as Ben took hold of her arm.

  Amberlight laughed out loud now, a merry sound at odds with his murderous plans. “And just what, exactly, do you plan to threaten me with? I suppose this is where you said ‘you’ll never get away with this!’ Or something equally cliche.” Amberlight smiled and shook his head almost sadly like he was chastising a student who disappointed him. “The reason you haven’t tried any of the fighting skills you claim to possess is because you know how badly outnumbered you are. Not that I believe for a moment that you could win in the first place, but please, feel free to make your threat.”

  “What makes you think I came here with just one partner?” Caroline smiled broadly now. “I’m not making threats, I’m stalling.”

  The door burst open and Darien was across the room in a breath, taking out Amberlight’s bodyguard. Caroline felt the presence of Agent Greenthorn in the doorway, chanting something, but didn’t have time to pay attention. Pivoting quickly, Caroline faced Ben who looked back at her in surprise, still trying to tighten the grip on her arm that she had so easily broken free of.

  A few minutes later and all four bodyguards were on the ground, handcuffed, and in various stages of surprise. Amberlight, Deans, and the still-unnamed third politician were backed up against the far wall. Deans and the other man wore expressions of shock and resigned outrage, but Amberlight remained defiant.

  “It won’t be long before my forces are alerted. It doesn’t matter how many of you there are, you won’t be walking free from here, and when we elves rule, you will be destroyed!”

  “Oh for the love of…” Agent Greenthorn muttered under her breath. Caroline almost giggled.

  “I’m about to read you your rights, Mr. Stanton. One of them is about remaining silent. I suggest you take the advice,” Darien said, his voice dry and his expression bland.

  Amberlight snarled at the use of his old name, but since he hadn’t legally changed it as it turned out, that was what was going on his arrest record. Darien pulled some more zip ties out of one of his pockets and approached the trio.

  “Don’t you dare touch me, you filthy vampire! Your kind will be eliminated completely when we take our rightful place!” Amberlight spat at him. Darien just raised one eyebrow and allowed his human side to fully retreat. His eyes darkened until they were blood red, and his face and body grew sharper, more angular and lithe. Caroline had heard vampires compared to big cats and to wolves, but neither comparison was entirely accurate.

  A vampire that was fully embracing that side of his nature was to humans and elves the same thing that a wolf was to a pet dog: dangerous, wild, and far deadlier than their domesticated counterparts could hope to be. All three men gasped and shrank back into the wall.

  “As I just mentioned. You have the right to remain silent—” Darien started with a grin.

  “What took you guys so long?” Caroline turned to Agent Greenthorn while Darien cuffed the last three men in the room.

  “Ran into a guy downstairs, then had to calm that one down a bit before he came in here and started ripping out throats,” Greenthorn said with an eyeball. “I swear, Darien and Greg are super overprotective of you. You were doing great on your own. And you even got more evidence against them, well done!”

  Caroline ducked her head at the praise, not used to it. Usually, this was where Point started yelling at her for putting herself in danger.

  Shouts from outside broke through the relative quiet of the room. Greenthorn grinned when Caroline and Darien both looked up sharply.

  “Go on you two. I’ve got these guys,” she said.

  Caroline didn’t wait to be told again and rushed out the door.

  24

  “Look, Amberlight, you’re not doing yourself any favors. I know that’s about the lamest thing I could tell you right now, but it’s the honest truth,” Point rumbled at the sneering elf across the table from him. “We have audio recordings of you discussing your plans with your co-conspirators— who have wisely lawyered up, I might add. We have the stolen property found in your personal office, with your fingerprints and DNA all over them. We have statements from a number of your so-called security team as well as a number of the guests for the dinner you were hosting in your barn. We have the last remaining golem puppets used in the thefts. We have the statement and cooperation of the mage that animated them. We have piles of evidence against you. You’re not going to be seeing freedom again anytime soon no matter what you say here, I can assure you of that.”

  Caroline, Darien, and Greg were standing together on the other side of the large mirror-window, watching Point try to get anything useful out of Amberlight. It wasn’t working, and it hadn’t since they got back to the FPAA detainment center just outside of Stonehaven. There were a few holding cells and interrogation rooms at their headquarters, but the raid had rounded up so many elves and mages that there was no hope of keeping them all together outside of the larger facility.

  “The ICM has been brought into this, so you’re not only facing local and Federal charges, but there are people right now discussing charging you in front of the international council on counts of coercing a mage to cast against his will. Just about the only thing you can do at this point that will help you at all is to cooperate. You never know what sort of comforts or privileges you might get if you do. Who is th
is benefactor you have referred to?” Point asked.

  Amberlight actually snarled at Point, and spit out an epithet that had both Darien and Greg growling softly. Caroline made a note never to say that particular phrase.

  Point had been trying to chip away at the man for over an hour and all he had gotten for his patience were sneers and foul language thrown his way. Caroline had no idea how Point was keeping hold of his temper, but the troll’s patience seemed to be made of the hardest stone. She hoped that when he finally let go of it, she wasn’t anywhere near him.

  “I don’t think standing here is going to be either revealing or amusing,” Greg grumbled. “That guy isn’t going to tell us anything.”

  “I agree,” Darien said. He sighed and rested a hand on Caroline’s shoulder. “Let’s go see what Shakes has come up with. We did get the guy’s phone, and we know that he had at least one phone call with this mysterious money person.”

  They left the observation room and finished up the paperwork they had at the detention center before heading back to the office where Zanna and Shakes and several others were sorting through evidence. They got into the elevator at the same time Caroline’s phone pinged, alerting her to a text message.

  Lucas: Hey, hope tonight went well. Make sure everyone stays safe, okay? I’ve got a bad feeling.

  “How did he know—?” She muttered.

  “How did who know what?” Greg turned to her.

  “Lucas. Just texted to make sure we’re all okay. Says he has a bad feeling.” Caroline answered, debating whether she should answer the short message and if she did, what to say. She was still debating a moment later when her phone dinged again.

  Lucas: I sent you and your computer guy a website I think you should see. I’m worried. I included the web address and a screenshot as well. Stay safe. It’s kind of nice knowing that there are some good guys out there and I would hate to lose that feeling. The message ended with a wonky-face emoji.