Mystic Flame (Beyond Ontariese 4) (20 page)

“Which is when he became Malos’ apprentice.”
Evan paced behind her, too wound-up to sit. “I’d rather not risk
telepathic communication. Even shielded messages can be
intercepted. But there’s no need for us to search all of Frontine
if Kellan is sound asleep in the Conservatory.”

“Then let’s let technology do the work.” She
turned back to the controls and triggered the emergency channel
built in to every operative’s profile. The signal was heavily
encrypted and randomly modulated.

It took a moment for Trey to respond to the
page, but his sleep-thickened voice eventually sounded over the
control room’s speakers. “What’s going on, Dro Tar.”

“Someone just blew up my apartment,
believing me and Evan were inside.”

“Was anyone hurt? Where are you?” He sounded
awake now.

“Evan and I are fine. We’re in my
sim-studio. First responders are on the scene. Seventeen
wounded.”

“Only cowards use bombs.” He muttered a
curse then said, “We need to move you to a secure location.” His
breathing sped as if he was rushing into another room. “If the
assassin realizes—”

“The best way to make sure he doesn’t try
again is the find the bastard.”

“Agreed. But you don’t need to be the one
who finds him or her.”

“We’re the perfect team to find him.
Everyone thinks we’re dead.”

Trey sighed. Dro Tar knew him well enough to
picture his tense expression. “How can I support you?”

“We need to know if Malos’ apprentice is
inside the Conservatory.”

“Hold on.” After a moment of silence, Trey
informed, “Tal said no one has seen him since he left for Linusia
Prime.”

“He’s our only lead, so we’re going to keep
digging. If he shows up, please have Tal contact us
immediately.”

“Understood. Is there anything else I can
do?”

“Not right now. If I need you, I’ll com. Dro
Tar out.” She grinned. It felt wonderful to boss around the
director of Covert Operations.

“You’re looking rather smug considering the
culprit is still out there.” Evan finally took the chair next to
hers.

“Sorry. It just feels good to be back in the
saddle.”

He shook his head as he ran a hand through
his messy hair. Transport conduits were harder on hairstyles than
motorcycles. “I need a dictionary of colloquialisms to understand
you.”

She didn’t argue. They were speaking
Ontarian, but he was right. Earth’s vernacular had a way of
creeping into her speech regardless of the language she used. “We
agree that Kellan is our most likely suspect?”

“Yes. Even if he isn’t personally
responsible for the bombing, he is likely the one who hired the
assassin.”

“So how do we find the little weasel? Can he
teleport or would he have arrived by shuttle?”

“To my knowledge he is not able to
teleport.”

She sifted through the datastream until she
found flight logs. “There were two shuttles from Linusia Prime
today. One arrived sixteen hours ago, the other forty minutes.”

“It would take longer than forty minutes to
orchestrate the bombing.”

“Unless he arranged it in transit.”

Evan shrugged. “Anything is possible, but
that’s unlikely. Bring up the passenger manifest of the earlier
flight.”

She requested the info and the list of names
scrolled across the holoscreen in front of them.

“Pause display.” He pointed to a name in the
middle of the list. “Lankel.”

“It’s an anagram.” She shook her head and
looked at Evan. “Why not just use an alias?”

“He probably thought he was being
clever.”

“So he’s not only on Ontariese, he’s
probably in Frontine.” Dro Tar exited the flight manifests and
returned to general inquiries. “Does he have family or friends
nearby?”

“Apprentices don’t have time for friends.
Start with his family.”

She used the established search criteria to
pull up Kellan’s bio. “His parents are life mates. He has one
brother.” Using a combination of hand movements and voice commands,
she navigated to the central security grid and scanned the family
residence. “Three life signs, but all three are chipped. Don’t
think he ran home to mommy.”

“Extended family? Aunts and uncles or
cousins?”

One after another she located the members of
Kellan’s extended family and scanned their houses. There was not an
unchipped life sign in any of them.

“What about Malos?” She quickly pulled up
the Mystic’s bio and discovered that he had three properties. “He’d
want to stay near his master,” she muttered as she pulled up the
location closest to the Conservatory. “What do we have here?” She
zoomed in on the small, semi-secluded cottage. “Looks like an
unchipped life sign.”

“Can you bring up a visual from inside the
house?”

She shook her head. “Not without an access
code and that requires a warrant.”

Evan chuckled. “Teleporting into the
location would also be illegal without a warrant.”

“Good point.” She activated a recon drone
and guided it to the house. The drone was tiny, but it still
required an opening to enter a building. She tried the windows
first. They were all securely closed. A sheer curtain obscured the
view of the bedroom in which the sole occupant was sleeping. “I
can’t get a clear picture without breaking and entering.”

“If we’re going to risk charges, I’d rather
check it out in person.” He pushed back his chair and stood.

She smiled at him and powered down the
terminal. “I have an in with the director of Covert Operations.
Charges aren’t really a concern.”

Evan and Dro Tar crouched beside the bedroom
window, huddling close to the exterior wall of the cottage. He’d
tried to materialize inside the house, but the property was
shielded against Mystic invasion. They’d landed in the backyard
instead then dashed for the concealing shadows.

“Can you sense if it’s Kellan or not?” Dro
Tar whispered, eager to confront whoever set off the bomb. If it
wasn’t this wannabe Mystic, then so be it, but he better be ready
to give up his accomplice or accomplices.

Evan shook his head. “Not even my scans are
penetrating the shield.”

She touched the wall then held up her hand.
“There’s no physical barrier. Can we just smash a window and climb
through?”

Evan leaned in and whispered, “A shield
dense enough to prevent physical dangers requires significantly
more energy than one designed to disrupt mystic abilities. Besides,
Malos likely considers other Mystics more of a threat than the
ungifted.” As if to prove his point, Evan stretched out his hand
and received a sharp jolt the instant his fingertips touched the
wall. “Looks like you’ll have to let me in.”

“Or drag the little bugger out.” She leaned
around Evan and peered inside the window. “He doesn’t look too big.
How old is he?”

“Fourteen. He might not be able to teleport,
but he has superior telekinetic potential. I’m not sure how well he
can control his abilities. He’s only worked with Malos for two
cycles.” He glanced at the window then tensed. “Perhaps we should
request backup.”

“Not a chance. If Malos finds out we’re
still alive, he could activate plan B. Can you block an SOS if
Kellan calls for help?”

“If I can’t penetrate the shield, neither
can he.” She narrowed her gaze. This was no time for Mystic
arrogance. “But I will continue to scan just to be safe.”

Pleased by his about-face, she smiled. “All
right. I’m going in through the kitchen door. It’s far enough away
from the bedroom that he shouldn’t be able to hear me.”

He gave her a quick, encouraging kiss then
she crept along the wall and around the corner. The kitchen sat at
the back of the house, so her chances of being seen were minimized.
She stayed low as she climbed the stairs to the back stoop. She
slid the screen door out of the way then examined the security
door. The locking mechanism would likely withstand a blast from a
pulse rifle, but there was a serious flaw in the door’s design.

She used the hilt of her pistol to tap out
one of the decorative glass panes then carefully reached inside and
deactivated the lock. Security doors weren’t meant to be pretty,
they were meant to keep people out.

The door swung inward and she stepped across
the threshold, half afraid an audible alarm would sound. Nothing
happened. As usual, the haughty Mystic thought other Mystics were
all he needed to worry about.

A short yet narrow hallway led from the back
of the house to the front. She quickly identified the correct
bedroom and eased the door open. The occupant was curled up on his
side, facing away from the moonlight. Placing her feet with
infinite care, she crept across the hardwood floor. If she blasted
him into unconsciousness, could she lift his deadweight and toss
him out the window?

Suddenly the bedside lamp hurled toward her,
making her decision for her. She barely dodged the projectile as
she fired. The boy rolled away so fast the energy stream missed him
entirely. He landed on his feet on the far side of the bed and sent
the other lamp rocketing toward her head. She batted away the lamp,
sending it crashing into the wall.

“Stop it!” She aimed the gun at the center
of his chest. “We just want to talk with you.”

The dresser behind her slid forward, but the
bulk slowed him down. She easily sidestepped the attempt and the
dresser bumped against the side of the bed.
Is that the best you
can do
? The taunt echoed through her mind, but she kept the
question to herself. The longer this fight lasted, the more likely
it was that Kellan would warn someone. Maybe provoking him wasn’t
such a bad idea.

“You’re going to have to do better than
that.” She anticipated his reaction. His eyes narrowed and he
looked away from her for just a moment, obviously searching for his
next projectile. The moment was all she needed. She blasted him
with her pistol and watched him crumple to the floor. Males were so
predictable.

Rushing to the window she unlocked it then
pushed it open. “One stunned apprentice coming up.” She detached
the screen then returned to her target and dragged him over to the
window. She lifted his torso and angled him out the window. As soon
as the adolescent cleared the shield, Evan dragged him the rest the
way out. Dro Tar climbed through the window and agilely jumped to
the ground.

“Press against my back and wrap your arms
around my waist.”

“Is that Kellan?”

“Yes.”

She’d been pretty sure she had the right kid
when the furniture started flying, but she’d felt compelled to ask.
“You can come back for me if you need to.”

“Not a chance.”

She squirmed. Teleporting wasn’t her
favorite means of travel when Evan was at full power and not
dragging two extra people along for the ride. She sighed. If he
thought he could do it, then she needed to trust him. She walked
behind him and wrapped her arms around his lean middle, snugging
tight against his back.

“Where are we going?” She didn’t really
care. She was just curious.

“To the Conservatory.”

“Won’t the others sense you as soon as you
knock on the shield?” An opening in the shield had to be created by
someone inside.

“I’ll contact Head Master Tal. He should be
able to shield our arrival from the others.”

She wasn’t about to argue with the strategy.
They needed to interrogate Kellan and it worked best to have
Mystics screw with the minds of other Mystics.

Light erupted around them and she quickly
closed her eyes. They didn’t have far to go, so she barely had time
enough to tense before they arrived.

“Where did you find him?”

She recognized Tal dar Aune’s voice and
stepped away from Evan. She was comfortable enough with Trey to
give him a hard time, but Tal was a different story.

“He was hiding in one of Malos’ properties,”
Evan responded.

They were in some sort of antechamber. A
neat row of fancy chairs were situated against one wall, but there
was no other furniture. Mistress Alexia swept into the room, her
expression lethal. “Three innocent people have died, despite the
best efforts of our healers. It is likely we will lose at least two
more. If Kellan is responsible for this travesty, he will pay
dearly. Put him there.” She pointed to one of the chairs.

Evan sat the lad down in the chair then
moved back.

Mistress Alexia conjured cords and bound
Kellan with the wave of her slender hand. “Awaken.”

The command was sharp and alertness jarred
through Kellan. His eyes opened and shock registered on his smooth
features. He had curly brown hair and thick-lashed eyes, also
shades of brown. “Where am… Why have you restrained me?”

“We know Malos is a Rodyte spy, but he
claims to have no involvement with your actions tonight.”

Dro Tar knew the Mystic was lying through
her teeth, but boy could she sell a lie.

The swirling of Kellan’s eyes sped,
revealing his fear. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She moved closer and ran her hand from the
crown of his head to his knees, hovering over his body not actually
touching him. “You’ve obviously showered and changed your clothes
but residue still clings to your skin.”

A tentative smirk tugged at one corner of
his mouth. “Explosives don’t leave a residue.”

Her brow arched dramatically. “Who said
anything about explosives?”

He turned his face away, jaw clenching as he
fought for composure. “I saw it on the newsstream.”

“Odd. We implemented a media block for the
next twelve hours.”

“It was a personal post from someone who
witnessed the explosion.”

She leaned over him, placing her hands on
the arms of the chair. “There is no escaping punishment. Your
mentor is a traitor and you have been assisting him. If you
cooperate right now, you can earn back your life.”