We watched Damnation Alley, which reminded me of home without all the people and more deserts. Afterward, I talked to Jeremy about some technical support with an idea I had. He handles all my technical issues. I am not sure I could have hooked up my vid without his help, let alone fix it every few days. Even if I could, it wouldn’t be worth it before it blew up again. I stayed up and read a bit after the others had gone to sleep. I don't need much, and a little bit of meditation would recharge my mental batteries far more efficiently than mere sleep.

My mind wandered a bit while I read, slowing my progress a bit. It roamed over my situation, both in this world and, more specifically, where I stood concerning Kingston. I had to believe we make our own Karma. The actions we take lead to the future as inevitably as an avalanche. My minor talents at precognitive always seem useless except at short-term events. If they were more developed, I certainly wouldn't be where I was. My friends say... or rather used to say, I tend to over-plan, building castles in the air that overcomplicate things. I can't help it, really; I have too much time on my hands, I suppose.

The night passed much like this. Thoughts flitted through my head until I gave up even the pretense of study. It was almost morning when I started my meditation, and my thoughts finally quieted in the face of my discipline. It was well into the morning when a knock at the door interrupted my soothing trance.

“Morning, Conrad,” I welcomed with a smile. Now that Mei included him in our plans, I felt far more charitable towards the large policeman. He was a little stiff, but I could work with that.

“Morning, Professor,” the shifter said politely. I winced, and my smile became a little more plastic. I guess I would have to get used to the unwelcome moniker.

“Come in.” I waived the officer in. “I hear that you had mixed results in the raid.”

He grunted as he walked by. “Yes, your advice was fine, but he's holed up.”

“Yeah, powerful circles like that are tough to bypass until they run out of juice.”

The policeman turned toward me slowly, a suspicious look entering his eyes. “You seem well informed. Do you mind telling me how you knew all this?”

“That would be me,” a slight cough preceded this announcement. Conrad kept his poise as he turned to face Mei. The slight Asian woman was dressed in a very flattering silk nightgown. She had serious skills; I hadn't heard a thing, and neither had Conrad, and his senses were no doubt significantly sharper than my own.

“Miss Ling,” the officer nodded. Some of the tension eased from his posture. “I hadn't realized you and the Professor knew each other.” I think Mei noticed my flinch.

“Yes, I will be staying at Derek's until my business here is done. It's far more convenient than a hotel, and I am unsure how long I will be in town.”

Conrad paused a moment, apparently mentally connecting my name with me. “I am not sure I thanked you properly last night. Your help was invaluable. The Professor supplied a good description of what we could expect, but your practical experience was a deciding factor that doubtless saved several officers' lives.” I am not sure, but I think he may have unconsciously posed during that statement.

“You’re welcome,” she gracefully nodded. “I firmly believe that those of us with the skills and abilities to make a difference should put forth every effort to help those around them.” She was staring me straight in the eyes when she said this, so I am almost positive she was directing this at me. What did she want? For me to put on a pair of tights and roam the city? The fairies of the city would have to get out and push. She continued, “In fact, the reason I am in the city may impact you more than just a little.”

“I've already been filled in about this part. Would you like some coffee or tea?” I asked as I made my way to the kitchen. “Oh, by the way, make yourself at home.” I gestured at the chairs and couches in the living room.

“Hmm, sure, black, no sugar,” Conrad said as he settled himself in one of the chairs.

“I'll have some of that tea you made last night.” I smiled at Mei's request. It may have just been a mundane mix of teas, but my breed has a talent for cooking and alchemy.

“Sure, be right back.” I gave a lazy wave as I went into the kitchen. The low mutter of their voices made a pleasant backdrop to my preparations. I frowned at a slight scuff Jeremy had left on the counter and got sidetracked, buffing it out of the surface. That unsightly bloodstain had to go as well. Oh well, I would have to get Jeremy to earn his retainer and call it in for service. Did I mention that my vidphone had blown up again? They could fix that too.

Midway through my preparations, I heard a gruff exclamation that sort of sounded like “Demons.” I guess I knew what part Mei was in the story. A few minutes later, there was a lull in the conversation, and I came out with a tray. I had added a few croissants and a bit of bacon. It wasn't traditional, but you really can't go wrong with meat with predator-type shifters.

“So this wizard sent a horde of apprentices to fill the city with demonic pests,” the officer was quietly snarling.

“Actually, we're pretty sure that's just a side effect,” I interjected as I slid the tray on the coffee table. “He is likely going for one of the big demons, and he has his flunkies test out areas for good locations.”

“Alright, what can we do about this?” he questioned flatly. I nodded towards Mei. She looked a little startled at my last statement. I hadn't explicitly mentioned it before, but it was pretty obvious after thinking it over last night.

“With your help, we can organize the packs,” she started earnestly. “Get the sensitive ones to identify the areas in the city where the magic is pooling and stake them out.”

The ill look on Conrad's face told me what he thought of that plan. “Getting the various packs in this city to act together is like herding cats,” he nodded in Mei's direction. “No offense.”

“I know,” she said in soft sympathy. I thought she was overplaying the empathy thing, but it seemed to be working. “But you’re the arbitrator; no one else can get the packs working together.”

“Hmmm, the jaguars and the panthers will be relatively easy,” he said reluctantly. “I will be trying to get them to join the force once the department is approved. But the wolves... they are difficult to keep in line, let alone work with us.”

“So you can't do it?” Mei said in a disappointed tone.

“No. I can do it. I will just have to smack some pack leaders down on their asses. It's well within my rights, as this is a clear and present danger to our territories.”

I listened raptly; I doubted many had gotten this kind of insight on the shifter hierarchy, especially the interaction of various races. Where I grew up, they stayed as far away from humans and other were-breeds as possible. My attention was a little too obvious, and Conrad's eyes snapped to me. I tried to look as innocent as possible as I met his stare.

“I would appreciate it if you forgot what we were discussing. It isn't meant for outsider's ears.”

“Didn't hear a word,” I shrugged. I was curious, but I didn't feel the need to share my knowledge with the world. “Anyway, if we can get those areas covered, then we have a way to get the vampire's territory covered.”

“You have vampire contacts?” Conrad was once more staring at me. I was rapidly becoming used to this.

“Yeah. You could say they volunteered.” You can say a lot of things. “Remember how I mentioned that they were very territorial? Well, they don't like random entities running through their home.” I still didn’t know what they were doing in the Blight. As far as I knew, that was no one’s territory.

“I can imagine,” Mei said, smiling sweetly. It was hard to imagine her as the vicious shifter that dominated a thug into spilling his guts just yesterday.

“Anyway, why did you come over?” I asked the officer. Not that it wasn't convenient not to have to chase him down, but there were obviously other things on his mind when he first came here.

He looked startled to be reminded of his original purpose. “Oh, right. I got sidetracked by the demons.”

“Yeah, evil wizards and demonic invasions can do that,” I agreed with some sympathy. I can get sidetracked by the little things too.

“As you know the magic-user that was raising the zombies has blockaded himself behind some sort of shield. I came to see if you would mind coming to examine it.”

“Sure, I would love to,” I said with interest; I hadn't seen a major magically working since I had gotten here. It would be fun.

“It seems I have my work cut out for me with the packs. Would you mind if I had another officer escort you there?” I shrugged; it didn't matter to me.

Jeremy had left for the day to make the preparations I had asked for. Mei and Conrad went off to kick some pack leader butt, and I sat at home for about an hour before an officer came to get me. It turned out that to be a familiar face.

“Officer Cromwell,” I greeted him at the door with a smile. “Long time, no see.” He didn't look well. One arm was in a sling, perhaps broken, and half the surface of his face was covered in half-healed yellow bruises. The local technology was good enough to make mending of broken bones an outpatient service, but he still really looked beat up. He must not have had time to get his injuries looked at yet. “You look terrible.”

He gave me a weak grin. I guess surviving a horde of zombies makes you happy to merely be alive. “I would have been dead if it wasn't for you. Those things on the floor went up like bombs. I would have been in them instead of outside them if it weren't for your warning. Call me Mat.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

I nodded in acknowledgment, pleased that he was still alive. He seemed like a decent chap, perhaps a bit on the nervous side, but that would keep him alive. “Glad that worked out, Mat. Conrad mentioned that it didn't end perfectly, though. Call me Derek.” I offered in return.

“No, that bastard enclosed the entire area in a big dome. Didn't even see him in there, but the shifters swear they smelled and heard a living person in there before it went up.”

We exchanged some small talk as the police cruiser flew through the town. No missiles popped out at us, and I was eventually able to ignore my gnawing envy enough to enjoy the scenery. Matt had obviously requisitioned another vehicle since the holes and rips I had made in the cushions and door were not present.

Within a few minutes, we landed. The first thing I noticed was that four police floaters were parked on the ground, and nearby a sewer cover was covered in holographic barriers and had an access ladder coming from it. I paused at the sight.

“Yeah,” Matt sighed, his voice mirroring the dismay I felt. “This is the closest surface access we can get. Fortunately, this area of the sewers is relatively dry.”

Covering my nose, I approached the opening. The smell coming out of it was bad, but I suppose it could have been worse. I was extremely grateful I lacked the extreme senses that most bestial shape changers had. “I'm surprised the shifters didn't pass out.”

“Some did get a bit sick, but it's not that bad deeper in. I don't know where it's coming from, but there's fresh air in there where the shield is.” Matt sounded chipper about that. I frowned; I had a bad feeling about that.

“Well, let's get down there and see what's going on,” I muttered, trying to recapture my earlier cheer. I failed.

It wasn't so bad. I repeated that to myself like a mantra. Still, the ground was only slightly spongy from material long ago decayed, so much that it was almost soil rather than fresher biological material. It had enough left of its origins to stink up the tunnel, despite my attempts at positive thinking. Detachable light globes dotted the sides of the tunnel, put there, I suppose, by the human police that couldn't see in the dark.

Matt and I walked in complete silence. I assumed he didn't want to open his mouth and let more fumes in than he had to. I examined the walls for scratches and tried to see if the ground, churned by dozens of footsteps, would reveal anything I didn't already know. It didn't.

It was only a few hundred feet to the area the police had barricaded. I could see the damage on the columns and walls where supernatural creatures had been pitted against others. Pockmarks where guns had gone off and small bits of unidentifiable giblets of flesh I didn't want to think too much about also decorated the landscape. In short, the area where the tunnel opened out into the vast underground room resembled a warzone.

Four officers were standing at the entrance. It looked like some semi-mobile barrier, borrowed from the army, had been set up to give the police cover if anything were to happen. My attention was grabbed by the shimmering blue wall of mystic energy that almost completely filled the chamber. The surface was only barely translucent so it was difficult to tell, but it seemed to be vaguely dome-shaped from floor to ceiling, and I may have been able to see objects on the inside.

Ignoring the muffled whispers of warning from the police, I walked up and put my hand on the shield, and opened my senses. I could tell we were on a pretty decent node, and this construct was sucking in most of that energy. I could also sense the dimensional barriers had been recently breached. Probably sometime in the night. The air was not as fresh as Matt said it would be, which had unfortunate implications. There was also a constricting sense to this place as if an oppressive pressure pushed on me from all sides.

“You want the good news, bad news, or the terrible news?” I flashed Matt a smile as I said this. He didn't smile back; I think he remembered my last batch of bad news.

“Give me the good news, unless there's something I have to know now,” he said nervously.

“Well,” I tapped on the shield, causing a small spray of sparks to shoot out. “This shield will probably go down in about two days. You could bring it down faster if you brought in some heavy weapons from the army, but you'd likely have the ceiling fall on you first unless you used their more focused weapons. Maybe if they had a big ass laser cannon, you could get through the sewers. I can feel the ebb in the energy, and it’s not being replenished as fast as it’s consumed.”

“What's the bad?” Matt asked grimly.

“I think Mr. Zombie man left,” Matt opened his mouth to argue, but I just continued. “There has been a dimensional breach here within the last day. If you felt fresh air last night, it must have been open then because it sure as hell stinks now.” Mat's mouth snapped shut, and a sour look covered his face. “I can't be sure what’s in there through the field. One of the circles he has up blankets the area, so no one whose name is not inscribed in the circle can use magic. He must have thought that there were local mages that may be coming after him.”

“You can shut down magic with a circle?” Mat's eyes widened.

“Almost any kind of magic can do that, but it’s a pretty damn big spell, and it's only of limited effectiveness.”

“Seems like that would make you the king of the hill,” Matt muttered.

“Well, it's pretty much limited to defending areas,” I waved a hand, trying to explain. “When you lock down the magic, you are laying claim to the free magic in the area. A mage that comes in from outside has to fight to move the magic inside his body, and environmental magic is off-limits. It's pretty much stationary, though. You can't freeze that much energy and move it.”

“What if two mages put these things up at the same time?” the officer asked.

“It is first-come, first-serve. The magic's locked to the first caster for as long as they have the power to maintain the spell. Ritual magic tends to last longer and be more efficient, so it's great to defend your home with.” I couldn't touch my magic reserves while within the area, either. I don't use them for much yet, except parlor tricks, but it was an oppressive feeling. “If two casters both have smaller versions of these things up, almost all they can do is throw dirty looks at one another. Fireballs are stopped cold at the boundary.”

“Almost?”

“Some spells cause physical effects. If you take away the magic, you still have something coming at you. All in all, it’s a great defense, especially combined with a shield circle.” I gestured at the glowing blue energy barrier in front of us. “Magic objects still work, but they are shut down if they have secondary magical effects.”

“So this won't affect us at all, I suppose,” Matt said as he digested the explanation.

“Not unless you have some mages hidden away somewhere,” I chuckled. I had searched the city pretty well. All it had was a few natural mystics that could do a few minor enchantments. Well, until Jin had started sending his students here. Hmm, and I guess I completely missed Mr. Zombie man. I was beginning to wonder if I knew this city at all.

“Nope, you're all we have,” he said a bit grimly. I looked at him, startled. If they counted me as a mage, they would be pretty surprised when a real one showed up, throwing spells around.

“Hmm,” I muttered noncommittally. “The really bad news is that I would really be shocked if the circle master didn't have a surprise in place when his shield ran down. When this thing goes down,” I tapped the shield's surface again, eliciting a wince from the police. “I would bet there's something triggered to go off.”

“A bomb,” Matt asked tensely.

“Could be. It could be something magical. I can't tell with the dampening circle in place.”

“Is there any way to tell?”

I looked intently at the shield. If it was for purely physical effects, I might be able to astral project a short distance to see what was inside. It was a long shot, though. Most psionic and magic shields stopped astral travel. The astral plane was just too closely tied to the physical plane. It almost didn't count as another dimension. I hadn't tried it in a long time due to the discomfort and hazards inherent in it, but the rune branded on my chest may not count that as real dimensional travel, just as it didn't impede too much my use of psionic teleportation much, limited as that was. The last thing I wanted was to peek outside my body in my astral form, only to have it yanked to the rune's anchor in the city.

I slowly shook my head. “Sorry, there's nothing I can think of offhand that would be able to peek inside.”

Matt looked at me, confused. “What do you mean peek inside? We can already see inside, except for the buildings he was holing up in.”

I looked back at him blankly in turn and cursed under my breath. I rarely ran into it, but there’s a downside to seeing invisible objects and magic. They appear rather solid to you and often you aren't aware that other, less gifted people may see through them. “Okay, maybe there is something I can do. I'll need a minute.”

Matt just shrugged. Apparently, if I could help he wasn't in a hurry. I looked around noticed a bench off by the wall, next to the remnants of an overturned waste drum. Walking over to it, I sat down and assumed the thinker position while entering a light meditative state. I could have just sat down in the lotus position, but I dreaded having to clean my pants off after sitting on the remnants of undead flesh that lay scattered on the floor. It also lacked a bit of dignity.

Concentrating, I worked to suppress my higher mental sensitivity. I had spent years honing my mental prowess, and it went against the grain, but at the moment, it was hindering me. I imagined it as closing off particular doors in my head and almost winced as I felt the world around me get smaller. On the bright side, the oppressive background noise of the city that drove away the human psychics almost vanished.

After about five minutes I was done and stood up to walk over to the barrier. The change in my senses was not physical but it put me off my stride enough that I almost felt unsteady as I approached it. The border still glowed a faint blue due to my heritage, but now it was transparent enough to see the details inside clearly. I assume the people around me didn't even see the barrier at all, but I didn't feel like advertising my limitations.

On the other side, I saw rows and rows of circles, each several yards wide, etched into the concrete floor. Lines connected them in some pattern that would probably make sense one day if I gained more proficiency in this type of magic. My instinctive sense told me that each of these circles unleashed waves of fire and necrotic energies that would simply stop one's heart if it overcame a person's innate defenses. Considering how that mess was layered it would be like waves of magic beating on a sandy shore. Once activated they would go off in rapid order. If a person withstood the first, second, or sixth, the twentieth would probably finish off the person. I felt a chill down my spine as I looked over the field of death. I am pretty resistant to hostile magic, but I wouldn't want to be here when this was triggered.

“The man that did this was a really vindictive bastard,” I said to myself. I wasn't talking to Mat, but he responded anyway.

“How so,” he asked warily.

“When this shield goes down... whether you blast it or just wait... this entire area is going to be filled with fire and death.”

“What do you mean 'and death',” Matt asked tensely.

I looked at him, thinking of how to explain to someone that didn't know anything about magic. “This area will be flooded with death magic. Enough to make your heart stop,” an idea occurred to me. “Or it could make you wither and die. I am not sure exactly what that much necrotic power would do to a person.”

“So it's all one big death trap. Will the explosion take down the ceiling?”

I winced; if the ceiling came down I wouldn't be able to study the circles. Doubtless, the circle master had taken his books when he abandoned his lair but if I could examine those circles, perhaps capture some psychic impressions on what the creator was doing when he made them, I might someday be able to recreate them. The death and fire circles were a bit overkill for home defense, but they would be fascinating to learn. The real gems would be the shield and portal circle. With that, I may be able to get out of this dimension.

“It's not quite like that. I don't think there will be an explosion.” I gestured with broad, sweeping motions. “It will just fill this area with fire... and death, of course.” Death magic doesn't have any concussive force; you just drop dead.

“So this cavern isn't going to collapse?”

“Well, it’s going to get really hot in here; you may want to talk to an engineer and see if the supports will survive.”

“Well, how hot is that?” Matt elaborated.

I looked at him, annoyed. How the hell would I know? Did he think I had walked into a death trap before with a thermometer? “I don't know. I would guess it would depend on how much power he pushed into this. Considering all this is on a node, it’s going to be hotter than hell.”

The police looked really unhappy. Matt turned to his companions and started talking tech speak. I tuned him out and looked at the circles again. They should be okay after the trigger. Their power would be exhausted but I should be able to examine them. The circles should be immune to their own effects. I hoped.

“Okay, we'll put in electronic surveillance and evacuate the buildings above us,” Matt finished emphatically, making me start and breaking my reverie. I nodded absently, that would be the smart thing to do. I gave a last look at the circles before slowly turning away. “Thank you for your help, Professor. Let's get you back home.”

I gave him a frown as I headed out. I had told him to call me Derek, and he still called me by that title the bibliophiles had given me. What's the point in making up an identity if no one is going to use it?