Magic Kingdom (Dragon Born Alexandria Book 3) (19 page)

“You and she have a lot in common then,” Logan observed.

“Well, much as I want to kill her, I have to admit that the woman does have style.”

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out. The path into the lobby was blocked by a security checkpoint. Two guards stood on either side of a big metal and magic detector gate. Their eyes narrowed when they saw all the steel Alex and Logan had brought along.

“We’re here to help,” Alex told them. “We got a call that there’s been trouble at the summit.”

“You look like trouble,” said the guard with the really twirly mustache.

Alex gave him her best smile—and tried not to stare at the silly mustache.

The guard was clearly not impressed. “I need to see some ID.”

Alex showed him her Monster Cleanup badge.

“I’m going to have to call this in,” Twirly Mustache said, taking the badge.

He grabbed a phone and stepped off to the side. His colleague moved in front of the gate, staring at Alex and Logan as though they were two person-sized bombs just waiting to go off.

“You’ve got some nice knives,” Alex said, trying to make conversation.

She got only silence from the guard in return.

She tried again. “Is that a Myriad?”

The Myriad was the Swiss Army Knife of supernatural weaponry, the monster hunter’s portable toolbox. It had several blades, each coated with a different magical substance, each one made to weaken a different kind of magical creature. The Myriad also had a few built-in mini sprays that worked against various supernaturals. It had an axe to cut through monsters that required beheading to kill. And the hilt contained a secret compartment that had a mist you could use against non-corporeal beings. That would have been useful against those ghosts last night.

Maybe I should get a Myriad too.

Yes, we definitely should,
replied Nova.
Did you get a look at that bundle of throwing stars? Exploding throwing stars.
Nova grinned into her mind.

Alex pictured walls exploding, burying evil Convictionites. Now that was a beautiful vision.

Twirly Mustache finally came back. He handed Alex her badge back and said, “You’re clear to go.” Sadly, he did not twirl his mustache around his finger and promise cruel punishments if they misbehaved on his watch. That would have been too perfect.

Alex winked at Mr. Myriad, which finally got a reaction out of him. It was only a grunt, but at least it was something.

“Why do you always have to live on the edge?” Logan asked her as they passed out of the security area, leaving the two big guards behind.

“Because it’s fun.”

High, open, and opulent, the lobby opened up before them. Dozens of long cloth banners draped from the brick walls and square columns. They came in four types: red and gold for the Mage Triad, black and white for the Vampire Covenant, green and bronze for the League of Fairies, and finally blue and silver for the Circle of the Otherworldly. A nervous energy buzzed in the air, like a tea kettle slowly bubbling up to the boiling point. Alex and Logan crossed the polished wooden floors, passing harried supernaturals. She spotted Marek and beelined for him.

“What happened here?” she asked as she stopped in front of him.

“Walk with me,” he said, waving for them to follow. “It all started when some young mages set off magic fireworks in the lobby.” He pointed at the glass entrance area.

There were a few pieces of singed furniture, and that was it. It was about the level of destruction she’d expect from a second or third tier mage.

“Security went to stop the mages,” Marek said. “But it turned out the fireworks display was just a distraction.”

He led them into a long, curved hallway. “While security was busy, some masked supernaturals dressed like ninjas abducted a few key Council members. They were waiting at every exit to the meeting hall.” Still walking, he pointed out the doors along the inner ring of the hallway. “When the meeting hall’s doors opened for the break, the ninjas set off magic smoke, and then they swept in. They quickly nabbed a few people. They were obviously after very specific Council members. When the smoke cleared, the ninjas were gone—and so were five Council members, including my mother.”

“Where’s Sera? Did she have a look at this?” Alex asked him.

“She, Kai, and the commandos left after the attack. Sera said she was following magic trails.”

“The victims?” Alex asked.

“No, the pyromaniacs who ran off. Kai wants to catch the fireworks mages and question them. It’s the only lead we have since the ninjas and their victims just disappeared. Perhaps through teleportation glyphs. But if there ever were glyphs, they are too far gone now.”

Alex reached out with her magic, trying to sense for them. “I can feel something, but it’s very weak.”

“Sera said it felt like a quick-decay glyph,” Marek told her.

“Yeah, I can feel the magical footprints of the glyphs, but they have decayed too far to activate again.” Alex turned, extending her magic further. “I can also feel Sera, Kai, the commandos…and the three of us, of course. The rest is a big jumbled mess. Too many supernaturals I don’t know, all mixed together. Hundreds of magic signatures. It’s too much.”

“How about my mother?” Marek asked.

Alex sensed for Margery Kensington, trying to find that familiar telekinetic spark, carefully contained and perfectly under control. She was unlike most telekinetics. Her magic was smooth and classy—cultured with an undercurrent of cool, ruthless power, a promise of what she would unleash on you if you didn’t mind your manners. It certainly had a flavor all its own.

Alex trailed Margery Kensington’s magic down the hall to a posh restroom. Inside, there was a full lounge area with mirrors and soft chairs to sit on to retouch your makeup. The magic trail led to one of those chairs—and then it just disappeared.

“Completely gone.” Alex pointed at the chair. “She was sitting here when she disappeared. I don’t know where she went. I can’t even feel a glyph here. Sorry, Marek, she must have been taken first, long before the others. Perhaps when she paid a visit to the ladies’ room.”

“Has anyone figured out why those particular people were taken?” Logan asked Marek. “What do they all have in common?”

“We’re not sure. The first two are Christopher and Ariana Reyes, a mage and fairy couple. Then a vampire named Sonya the Vanquisher.”

“Wow, what a name,” Alex commented.

“I know her,” said Logan, “Sonja’s cool. Her parents gave her that flamboyant name. They thought it would mean she’d become a great warrior. She became a banker instead. She hasn’t vanquished anything more serious than a dust bunny.”

“Sonja’s parents are from another era—literally,” added Marek. “They are four hundred years old. Their ideas are a tad antiquated.”

“I can see that,” said Alex. “Who else was taken?”

“Bart. He’s a ghost.”

“How do you even kidnap a ghost?” Alex asked. “They can just vanish into the realm of the underworld.”

“The Convictionites once managed to trap a ghost using the Otherworldly Orb,” Logan pointed out.

“I don’t feel the Otherworldly Orb here.” That giant beacon of magical power was really hard to miss.

“There are probably other ways to trap ghosts,” said Logan.

“There are,” Marek said. “Using artifacts. There’s a spell too, but it’s ancient fairy magic. I don’t know it.” He pulled out his phone and began to type. “I’ll ask Eva if she knows anything about it. Her gran has a whole library of old fairy magic books.”

“Where is Eva?” Alex asked.

“She saw her gran home. There was too much excitement here today.”

“Naomi and Eva’s grandmother is on the Council?”

“No, she’s a consultant,” Marek told her.

Alex walked out of the restroom, returning to the faded glyphs. “I wonder who was behind the attack here.”

“Sera seems convinced it was the Grim Reaper’s people.” A worry crinkle formed between Marek’s eyes. He had good reason to be worried. The Grim Reaper was the stuff nightmares were made of. He was no laughing matter.

“We will get your mother back,” Alex promised him. “My sister can track magic better than I can. She will return with our answers. I’m sure of it.”

“I hope you’re right, Alex. I really do. The Magic Council has also hired an investigator to check out the scene. She will arrive shortly. Until then, tell me about this ring.”

“It’s a magic moissanite ring, called Starlight. It is one of the seven Ornaments of the Dead, all fairy treasures. Naomi thinks the thief we’re pursuing is a necromancer.”

“Necromancer,” Marek repeated, looking wary.

“Yes,” said Alex. “And he is stealing the Ornaments of the Dead to boost his power. He has them all now, except the ring. That is obviously his next target. We need to stop him before he becomes powerful enough to unleash an army of the dead.”

“I don’t know where this ring is being kept, but I’ll talk to the League of Fairies.” Marek began typing on his phone again.

“The fairies need to put extra security on that ring,” Alex insisted. “Tell them the thief is very dangerous. He can burn through concrete and disappear. And the necromancer’s powers over the dead are escalating. First ghosts, then zombies, then undead fairies. This is getting out of hand. Who knows what will be next.” She met Marek’s eyes. “The fairies need to tell us where the ring is. We can help them protect it.”

“I’ll tell them, but you know how fairies are.”

“The same as mages and vampires and otherworldly,” said Logan. “They don’t like to admit they can’t handle their problems alone.”

Marek sighed. “You’re not wrong about that.” He glanced down at his phone screen. “The investigator is here. Come with me.”

They followed the hall back around to the lobby. A woman who looked like she’d fallen off the page of a Victoria’s Secret catalog was standing there, talking to some Council members. She was dressed in a synthetic black bodysuit and high boots with tall heels. Her magic buzzed against Alex’s senses, an unusual blend of supernatural power. It snapped like a mage, yet had the soft, seductive song of a fairy. And to top it all off, it was thick with blood like a vampire—except the blood scent was sweet and pleasant, not metallic and harsh like Alex usually felt from vampires.

The mystery woman turned to look at them, her green eyes lighting up when she saw Logan.

“Zinnia,” he said quietly.

“You know her?” Alex asked him.

“Zinnia is an old acquaintance. I met her in my early assassin years. I guess you could say we were friends.”

From the way he said it, they’d been more than just friends. And from the way she was looking at him, she wouldn’t mind rekindling this more-than-friends relationship. This was going to be fun.

Zinnia strode forward in strong, assertive strides, her high heels not impeding her movement at all. She moved like she owned the floor—and all the people on it too. Heads turned to gawk at her as her heels tapped across the lobby. She stopped in front of Logan and kissed him full on the mouth.

Alex glared at Zinnia. She was wearing a sword, a few knives, and two guns. Hello, Lara Croft, Supernatural Edition. Zinnia had pale shimmering skin and long bouncy red hair. And because this didn’t suck enough, she had big breasts, a tiny waist, and legs as long as the Nile. She was very toned too. She looked like a supermodel who moonlighted as a monster hunter—which she did in style, of course. She was certainly never covered in zombie guts or monster blood, nor did she ever have a hair out of place on her perfect head.

I hate her guts,
Nova said.

Yeah,
Alex agreed.

Logan backed away from Zinnia’s kiss. He didn’t look upset at her, which he damn well should have been. Zinnia had kissed him. On the lips. By all rights, he should have clocked her in the head.

Fine, then.
Alex stepped forward.
I’ll do it for him.

Logan extended his arm, blocking her. He did it smoothly, making it look like he was merely pointing. Damn him.

“Alex, this is my old friend Zinnia.” He extended his other hand toward Zinnia. “Zinnia, this is my partner Alex.”

“A partner?” Zinnia smiled widely. Her teeth were bright white, just asking to be punched. “Since when do you work with a partner?”

Alex put on an even wider smile and said, “Since he started sleeping with her.”

Zinnia met her eyes coolly for a moment, then she laughed. “Oh, Logan, she’s funny. And so adorable. Where ever did you find her?” She said it as though Alex were some lost puppy he’d found on the street.

Alex’s smile was breaking her lips. “He found me cutting through a pack of delinquent werewolves with my sword.”
Hint, hint.

“Oh, were you in need of rescuing, dear?”

Alex’s knuckles cracked. “No, I prefer to rescue myself.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard about the Paranormal Vigilante. I’ve heard that she lets vampires bite her, then passes out on the street.”

Alex reached for her sword, then stopped. She couldn’t let that woman get under her skin. Not that Logan was helping. He looked amused.

“Logan, love,” Zinnia said. “Could you show me around the scene?” She reached for his arm.

Oh, no, you don’t.
Alex slid between them. Smiling at Zinnia, she said, “We’d be happy to show you around.” Then she wrapped her arm around Logan’s back and locked her hand onto his hip.

You show her that assassin belongs to you,
Nova cheered in her head.

Alex smirked at Zinnia. Zinnia stared at her for a moment, then dipped her head with unnatural grace.

“Of course,” she said smoothly. “Thank you for your assistance.”

Marek took the lead. “I’ll show you where the Council members disappeared.”

Zinnia walked beside him, listening as he went through the same course of events he’d explained to Alex and Logan earlier. As he spoke, Alex walked with Logan, her arm still glued to him.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He didn’t laugh, but he was pretty close to it. He looked more amused than she’d ever seen him. When Zinnia glanced back at them, Alex smiled and slid her hand around to squeeze Logan’s butt.
Mine.
Zinnia must have gotten the silent warning. She turned back around.