Outfox: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Sentry of the South Book 2) Read online

  “Thank you,” I said. “Same to you.”

  “Do you know who I am?” she asked, coming closer to inspect us.

  “I’m going to take a wild guess and say you’re one of the norns,” I said.

  “Close,” the woman replied. “I’m all of three of the norns.” Before I could react, she shifted into another figure—the woman in the white pantsuit from the roulette table. The one with the sparkly glasses.

  “I’m Ragna,” the white pantsuit norn said. “My exercise-obsessed sister is Oydis.” She shifted a third time, appearing as another blonde--this one in a short black dress that seemed to be made of hundreds of tiny beads. Her makeup was heavy but flawless. “I’m Erika.”

  “Pleased to meet all of you,” I said.

  Peter appeared to have lost the power of speech. I couldn’t decide whether he was frightened or fascinated—probably both.

  The form of Oydis returned to us. “Do you understand why you’ve been summoned here?”

  “Excessive use of magic,” I said, injecting a note of apology into my voice for good measure.

  “You intervened in that gnome’s destiny,” Oydis said. “Why?” She moved to a corner of the room where a punching bag hung from the ceiling. The blue Amazon handed her a pair of boxing gloves and Oydis slipped them on.

  “Because she was in pain,” I replied.

  “Pain is a part of life, fire witch,” Oydis said, pummeling the bag. “You cannot prevent the suffering of others. Their fate is not your decision.”

  “Is the gnome dead?” I asked.

  Oydis stopped punching the bag and regarded me. “What does it matter to you?”

  “Why did she deserve to die?” I pressed. “What did she request of you that you weren’t willing to give?”

  Oydis’s hands dropped to her side and she strode over to me. “You have a very strong aura. Fire burns within you.”

  “As you correctly stated, I am a fire witch.”

  Her face hovered inches from mine. “Why are you here?”

  “To ask workers in the casino about a recent guest,” I said. “We’re tracking a missing sword and we think the thief may have been here to sell it or meet someone about it.”

  Sparkling glasses blinded me momentarily as Oydis morphed into Ragna. “What sword is this?”

  “It’s called Slatra,” I said.

  Her blue eyes grew round. “I know this sword you speak of.” She pulled back and walked over to the nearest wall. When she placed her palm flat on the surface, an image of Slatra appeared in its original form.

  “That’s it,” I said excitedly. “Except I’m talking about the top half only.”

  “Yes, it was destroyed,” Ragna said. “Two halves taken to opposite ends of the earth. A fine warrior—he who originally wielded Slatra. A proud addition to Valhalla.”

  “Were you responsible for his death?” I asked.

  “Not us,” Ragna said. “That was Odin himself.” Ragna paused, listening. “Be quiet, Erika. You’ll get your chance to speak.” Ragna made an irritated sound. “My sister is so impatient.” Ragna’s short bob extended to shoulder-length hair as she shifted into Erika.

  “You have a question about your fate,” Erika said to me. “You want your path to be certain.”

  My stomach clenched. I didn’t want to say anything that would result in my untimely demise. “I am here to ask your employees about the guest we seek. Nothing more.”

  Erika seemed satisfied with my response. “I am unaware of this guest,” she said. “If Slatra was discussed during someone’s visit here, we did not hear mention of it. We tend to only hear the pleas directed to us.” She gave a weary sigh. “There are so many every day.”

  “Just out of curiosity, how often do you grant someone the happy outcome they seek?” I asked.

  Erika grunted. “Not very. The majority of those who come to us are not worthy of their desires. They gamble with their lives when they come here, and they know it.”

  “Not me,” Peter interjected. “I gamble with money. Much more fun.”

  Erika purred as she approached him, resting a delicate hand on his shoulder. “And what of you, Mr. Zilla?” she asked. “You are not here to change your rather interesting destiny?”

  ”If it’s that interesting, I’ll keep it, thanks,” Peter replied, keeping his tone light. “You know who I am?”

  “Of course,” Erika said. “And Miss Degraff.” She flashed a set of perfect white teeth that sparkled like Ragna’s glasses. “Power has a tendency to turn our heads whether you seek our assistance or not.”

  “If I hadn’t used my magic in the casino, would you have known we were here?” I asked.

  Erika eyed me coolly. “We have answered enough of your questions, wouldn’t you agree? Remove yourselves from this place immediately and no harm will come to you. Consider it a gift.” She dragged a fingernail under Peter’s chin. “And if I ever see you here again, the outcome won’t be nearly as pleasant.”

  “Point made,” he said, his gaze locked on her sharp fingernail as she withdrew it from his chin.

  “The Amazons will escort you out,” Erika said. “Please leave the bag of coins behind.”

  Peter thrust the small bag of coins into the hands of the blue Amazon. “Give my regards to Darla,” he said.

  Erika waved us off. “Will do.”

  Chapter Nine

  We walked in silence from the casino to the Bellagio. I was disappointed that we’d come all this way and made no progress. I reeked of failure and right now the only thing I wanted to do was get back to the suite and scrub it off.

  Before I could make my way into the hotel, Peter grabbed my hand. “Wait, the fountains are about to start. You have to watch them,” he insisted. “It’s a thing.”

  “It’s a fountain, Peter,” I said. “How is that a thing? We have a nice one at the academy. I can see it anytime I want.”

  “No, this one is different,” he replied. “It’s the closest thing to magic that exists in Terrene.”

  I wasn’t really in the mood to stare at fountains after our ejection from the casino, but I decided to indulge him. He’d stuck his neck out for me too many times to ignore his plea now.

  “Okay, fine,” I relented. “What do we do?”

  “We wait,” he said, steering me to the viewing area that faced the lake, and, presumably, the fountains. “But we want the best view, so we’ll stand right here. It won’t be long. The schedule is consistent.”

  Other guests had the same idea because they began to form a crowd around us. Although the sun had set, nothing seemed truly dark in Vegas. There were far too many lights flashing and blinking at all hours. Too much noise. I missed the silent blinking of the stars overhead. For an academy full of young paranormals, Spellslingers was relatively tranquil.

  “Stop your search,” a voice demanded.

  I whipped around to see a woman in the crowd fixated on me. Her dark hair was cropped close to her head and her pale skin reminded me of a vampire, except she wasn’t one. That much I knew.

  “Excuse me?” I asked. “Do I know you?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flicker of lights as water streamed skyward. Music began and Peter couldn’t contain his excitement. “It’s starting,” he said, with a quick glance at the woman. “Any chance we could pick this up when the show is over?”

  The muscle in her cheek pulsed. “You will cease your hunt for the sword. If you choose to continue, you will pay the price.”

  “How much are we talking?” Peter interjected, moving to stand between the woman and me. “Because I have plenty of coins to spare. I can afford half a sword, although it would be better to have the whole thing, wouldn’t it, honey?”

  “Half a sword. Whole sword. Whatever your heart desires, kitten,” I replied.

  The woman was not amused. “Heed my warning or risk the consequences.”

  In the background, the dramatic music continued with people mesmerized by the performance
. The lights blazed like fire across the lake. It was very atmospheric. Too bad I couldn’t focus on the show.

  “Who are you?” I asked. “Why should we heed the warning of some random woman at the Bellagio?”

  The woman opened her mouth to respond, but instead of words, there was a high-pitched shriek like nothing I’ve ever heard.

  “Banshee,” Peter said, his expression grim.

  We were clearly her intended targets as no one else reacted to her extreme vocalization. But who sent her?

  I yanked out my wand and called to my magic, quickly conjuring a spell to protect our eardrums. It was one I’d learned in primary school to combat the taunts about my grandmother. Whenever other kids started to give me a hard time or call me names, I would perform the spell to shut them out. If only I’d known that one day, it would come in handy against a banshee.

  “If you do not listen,” the banshee said, “then you will not leave this place.”

  “Seems to me that if we do listen, we won’t leave this place,” I shot back. Because that shriek was designed to inflict severe pain.

  Peter grimaced. “But the show!” He gestured to the fountains, with the flamelike water spurting high in the air in time with the heart-wrenching music. For a quick second, I let my gaze linger on the show. Peter was right—it was magical.

  Apparently, the banshee wasn’t a fan. Whatever glamour she’d used to disguise her appearance from us was gone now. I suddenly wished her voice were her only weapon. The sword strapped to her back gleamed under the artificial lights and I noticed daggers tucked in her boots. The glamour must have remained in place for humans because none of the onlookers paid her any attention.

  She unsheathed the blade on her back and glared at me. “Last chance, witch. Return home and forget Slatra.”

  “Last chance to enjoy the show, you mean,” Peter said. “This is her first time at the Bellagio. At least let her enjoy it.”

  The banshee ignored him. She lunged for me, slicing her blade through the air and narrowly missing my abdomen thanks to my quick reflexes. I wasn’t sure what magic she had at her disposal aside from her voice. She probably hadn’t expected to need more than that, but, of course, she’d have no clue about my pathetic childhood experience.

  I gripped my wand and felt my magic rise up within me. I excelled in weapons training, so I knew if I could get my hands on one of her blades, I’d have a chance of defeating her. I couldn’t risk too much magic in the crowd of humans. I wasn’t sure what the banshee was doing to cloak her movements, but, whatever it was, I couldn’t assume that the spell extended to me.

  “You’re going to draw the attention of the League,” I warned her.

  The banshee smirked. “With a minor cloaking spell? You don’t know them very well, do you? Of course, the type of magic you need to use to defend yourself might bring them here, but you’ll be dead by then, so does it matter?” She attempted to plunge the sword into my shoulder, and I jerked to the side in the nick of time.

  “Peter? Any ideas?” I couldn’t take my eyes off the banshee to gauge his involvement. “Are you watching the show?”

  “No,” came the meek reply. “You seem to be handling yourself. I’ll jump in if you need me.”

  I dodged another blow from the sword and the banshee nearly lost her balance. I took advantage of the moment and kicked her in the side. She held steady and drew a dagger from her boot, a resentful glimmer in her eye. Great. Now she had a weapon in each hand and she was pissed.

  “Why does no one seem to see us?” I asked.

  She angled her head. “That’s your concern? I have multiple blades primed for your death.”

  “If you’re somehow cloaking our whole dance, that’s pretty sophisticated magic.” Too sophisticated for a banshee, which meant that she had help from a skilled magic user. Her employer? Or a hired service?

  “No humans will witness your death,” she said gleefully. “We’d never risk the League’s involvement.”

  “Yeah, I get it,” Peter said. “I’m not a fan of bureaucracy either. Paperwork is the pits.”

  I conjured a defensive spell, placing a shield between us. I had to figure out how to beat her offensively, though. I couldn’t deflect her blows forever. The banshee’s blade bounced off the invisible barrier and took her off guard. She stumbled backward and grunted in exasperation.

  “You have nowhere to go, witch,” she seethed. “There’s a lake behind you and you’re surrounded by innocent humans. Surrender now. Admit you’ve lost.”

  “I’ve lost?” I repeated. The lights exploded and the music swelled, but I could only focus on the banshee in front of me. “I’m Danielle Montrose Degraff, you squeaky, out-of-tune violin. I. Don’t. Lose.”

  I flicked my wand and released the barrier between us so that she’d lunge for me again. Then I shoved my wand in my pocket and summoned my magic.

  I wasn’t fast enough.

  The banshee tackled me and we went sailing off the viewing platform. I didn’t have time to react. I squeezed my eyes closed and waited for the splash of water when I hit the lake. Instead, I felt a plush material beneath me.

  I opened my eyes and saw a lizard at the helm of the flying carpet. “Newt?”

  “Duck!” he replied.

  I felt the swish of a blade above my head. The banshee was on the carpet, too. Newt expertly maneuvered around the pulsating fountains so that water didn’t blast us.

  Heat emanated from my palms, casting a golden glow around my hands. I had to take care of the banshee before she took care of me. Permanently.

  I released a fireball at close range and it singed her arm, forcing her to drop the bigger blade. It fell into the lake below, but it was impossible to hear the splash above the music. Rage glittered in her dark eyes.

  “I think you might have upset her a wee bit,” Newt said.

  Water spouted below us and disrupted the carpet enough to knock me off my feet. I skidded over the side and grabbed the curled end before I plunged into the lake. I glanced over my shoulder to see Peter shouting at me from the crowd. I had no idea what he was saying. As I dangled over the side, I felt something hard pressing on my fingers.

  The tip of the banshee’s boot.

  She smirked at me from her standing position on the carpet as she showed me her dagger. I was pretty sure I knew what she intended to do with it. Before she could make another move, a flash of grey wings obscured my view of the banshee. The bird seemed to be pecking at the banshee’s face. She swatted and tried to maneuver around it, but to no avail. She lost her balance and tipped over the side of the carpet. I was so focused on the banshee that I failed to notice the hand tugging on mine. I looked up to see Peter leaning over me. He gripped my forearm and pulled me back onto the carpet just as the fountains receded and the lake returned to its calm and serene state. There was no sign of the banshee in the water below.

  “You shifted,” I said. Peter rarely used his abilities in my company. He seemed to reserve them for his smuggling gigs.

  Peter shrugged. “It seemed necessary.”

  “I’m sorry you missed the finale,” I said.

  “I saw enough.”

  I turned to the lizard. “Thanks for the help, Newt.”

  “No problem,” Newt said. “I happened to be traveling by and saw the kerfuffle. Didn’t want to see you skewered by Mandy. She can be vicious when she’s in a foul mood.”

  My head swiveled toward the lizard. “You know her?”

  “She’s local,” Newt said. “Hired muscle.”

  “She threatened to kill us,” I said. “That sounds more like an assassin than muscle.”

  “And not a very good one at that,” Peter said, gazing at the water below.

  Newt steered the carpet to the pavement and landed. “I don’t know for sure. I’ve seen her around often enough to know what her story is.”

  “She used magic,” I said. “Any idea who may have hired her? Any regular clients that you know of?”

/>   “A couple,” Newt replied. “There’s a local kingpin called Meth and a business tycoon called Lady G. They both use Mandy’s services.”

  “Meth?” Peter queried. “As in the drug?”

  “No, as in Methuselah,” Newt said.

  Peter’s eyes widened. “The vampire?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “Could you tell us where to find them?” I asked.

  “Easy peasy,” Newt replied. “Meth has a penthouse suite at the Globetrotter and Lady G operates out of a lingerie shop called Lady G’s Spot.”

  “Clever,” Peter said. “Not that I’m complaining, but why does she operate out of a lingerie shop?”

  “She owns it,” Newt said. “One of her many business ventures. She’s got a ridiculous pink office with pictures of puss…cats everywhere.”

  “How about you take Meth and I’ll handle Lady G?” Peter said to me.

  “You’re hilarious,” I shot back.

  “How about you two get off my carpet so I can get back to work?” Newt complained. “I’m only a Good Samaritan for a limited time.”

  “Thanks, Newt,” Peter said. “See you around.” We hopped off the carpet and headed into the Bellagio to our suite.

  I went straight into the shower to clean off the sweat and general grubbiness from my fight with Mandy. Thankfully, Peter had his own bathroom at the opposite end of the suite. I toweled off and conjured a clean Vegas outfit and a fresh hairdo. If we were going to interrogate two potential suspects—especially two local powerhouses—then I needed the right look. No one was going to answer Dani Degraff, AMF trainee.

  I emerged from the bathroom, my hair hanging loose over my shoulders. My heart stuttered when I noticed Peter already at the bar, mixing a drink. He looked remarkably handsome in his collared, short-sleeved shirt. His wavy hair was still damp from the shower.

  He broke into a grin when he saw me. “Fancy a drink after all the excitement?”

  “I really shouldn’t,” I said. “Not if we’re going to see Meth and Lady G tonight.”

  “I think we should see Meth tonight and Lady G tomorrow,” Peter said.