illuminate the skyline. Though the sun had crested the horizon, the space between buildings was still dark and cool despite summer.

A truck rumbled by a side street, and the alley fell silent. A figure emerged from behind a pile of trash, dressed in loose jeans and a nondescript hoodie, drawn to keep his face in shadow. He glanced side to side, making sure the coast was clear. He trotted down the street, climbing a fence to come face to face with an empty wall of a building. He pulled out a can of spraypaint and rattled it, eyes glued to the blank space. He began to paint, deft strokes without hesitation or uncertainty. After a few minutes, he sprayed a dot in the middle and stood back to admire his work, before turning and running away, chucking the can into the trash.

There, in dark yellow, was an eye surrounded by three V’s and what looked like a lowercase spiraling g. The symbol of the Society of the Third Eye could be found painted on numerous buildings, street signs, and lampposts. The time was nigh.

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“Alright, everyone ready?” Nigel said, adjusting the mirror and double-checking their supplies. Vanessa was riding shotgun, a downcast expression on her face. The senior disciples Luke, Matt, Ethan, and Amy were squashed in the middle seats, while the other two leaders sat in the back. Vanessa stole a glance at them; they’d both arrived late last night and they’d hardly said a word to anyone. She’d gleaned that the slyly grinning Asian teen was called Yun, and the perpetually frowning one was Jason. They huddled together, muttering, but Vanessa wasn’t sure what they were talking to each other. They gave her the creeps.

“Something wrong?” Nigel asked, jolting her out of her reverie.

“Ah, nothing, nothing. Just...it’s really happening. It’s…really time to do this.” she said, forcing a smile to her face. Nigel frowned and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

“Vanessa, what’s wrong? You know you don’t have to hide anything from me.” he said, and she nearly broke down at the soft comfort of his voice. She badly needed comfort.

“NO, it’s just…are, are you really sure this’s the right thing to do?” she asked nervously.

“What, getting cold feet?” Matt snorted derisively from the back. She shot him a glare.

“No, nothing like that. It’s just…we’ve been doing some, how should I put this, kinda shady stuff recently. Is that really what we want to base our new world on?” she asked, trying very hard to keep from shaking. These were possibly the highest-level magic users on the planet. They’d know if she tried to disguise her nerves with an illusion.

“My dear, we all experience doubt, especially when faced with an endeavor of this magnitude,” Nigel began.

“Not me.” Yun cut in with heavily accented English. “This is the best thing that happen to me, ever.”

“As I was saying,” Nigel continued, giving him a stinkeye. “We all have doubts when faced with adversity. But if we stay the course and are not swayed form the path of righteousness, we shall have a brighter future for everyone, not just ourselves.” He noted her still troubled face.

“Um, yeah. I get that, but-” His lips met hers. He pulled back from her surprised yet pleased face. He’d never shown any affection for her in public before, it was ‘to avoid accusations of favoritism’. “Uh, Nigel-?”

“Leader Nigel.” he corrected, smiling confidently. “The end of our journey is approaching. I want you with me, before and after. Okay?” he asked. She turned red and looked away.

“Okay.” she said quietly, heart sinking. She felt like she was being torn in two, but she recalled her sister’s crying face as she scowled down at her, ready with dark magic to violate her mind. She shuddered. She would not become that monster again. Her duty was clear. She just hoped Nigel could accept it.

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"I understand that this is an unusual circumstance, Mr. Lampwicke, but-” Cross tried to say, but the wrinkled man cut her off.

“Balderdash! I don’t care what your intentions are, my precious collection stays where it is!” he snapped, his jowls wobbling above his immaculately-pressed collar. He glared at the team with sharp beady eyes. Amber, Genevieve, Leo and Gregor were ramrod straight trying to make a good impression, but Will and Bess were slouched and looked sullen. Kevin was trying to look professional, but his eyes kept wandering to the glass cases on the walls and floor displays in the spacious penthouse apartment; full of rare gems, historical artifacts, and art enough to make his own museum. Thurgood Lampwicke looked down his nose on them in disdain.

“I assure you, Ms. Cross, that my security system is top of the line, beyond state of the art. I see no reason I should be subjected to the offer of ‘protection’ from children.” The quotation marks could be felt in his sneer.

“Mr. Lampwicke, I assure you that though they are young, my team has been hand-picked for their expertise.” Cross said through gritted teeth. Lampwicke glowered at her.

“Humph. I see no reason to believe such an outrageous claim. Even if these ‘thieves’ are coming, they will be stopped by security long before they enter my quarters.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“I’m sorry, but we’ve been after these people for some time now, and this is the perfect chance to trap them. We can’t do this without your help, Mr. Lampwicke. Please allow us to replace the amulet in question with a fake, and-” Cross pleaded, but he was having none of it.

“Nonsense! I won’t allow it!” he shouted, turning red. “The Amulet of Puluhtu is one of my most prized pieces! It cost over thirty million alone! I will not allow anyone to touch it!” he threatened, wobbling dangerously. It wasn’t that he was just fat, precisely; though he definitely had a large belly, his skin was so wrinkled with age he jiggled while breathing.

“Sir, I know, and we are just trying to ensure that doesn’t-”

“I have already ensured so! I have invested a considerable portion of my fortune into security! In fact, if anyone is to be suspected of thievery, it’s you bunch.” he accused, glaring like a bulldog. Kevin snapped to full attention.

“Forgive me sir, I was merely admiring such an exquisite collection and mapping out possible entry and choke points for an ambush, per our job sir!” he said as diplomatically as he could, but Lampwicke snorted.

“Bah! I don’t believe you for a second! Get out before I call security! I am Thurgood Lampwicke, I can buy and sell your employers, let alone you! Begone!” Cross sighed as he ranted, launching into a tirade that had everything to do with the no good youth of today. She didn’t see any faster option, so it was with no small satisfaction that she pulled out her Glock and aimed it right between his eyes, shutting him up.

“Listen, we don’t have time for this.” she said coldly, staring a hole into him. “Our intel says they’ll be in the city just before nightfall, so we have less than seven hours before they’ll be here.”

“Just got the text, the other agents have arrived.” Amber said, checking her phone. Cross nodded.

“Good. Then two of them will escort Mr. Lampwicke to another location, while we go ahead with the plan and wait for the Third Eye.” she said.

“Th-Th-This is preposterous! I’ll call the police!” Lampwicke blustered.

“Go right ahead.” Cross said with a savage smile. “My judicial authority supersedes theirs. You do not know the stakes riding on this operation, so you don’t get a vote. We have to stop them, no matter what. You have my word the Amulet of Puluhtu will not leave the building. If you try to interfere with this, then you’ll have to go. It’s a sacrifice, but one I’ll have to make.” He stared down the black barrel into her blazing blue eyes, no hint of a bluff or deception. This crazy woman meant it.

“You-you will pay for this.” he said weakly, backing down. “You won’t get away with this. This is illegal.”

“Unfortunately, I have to discard legality for the moment.” Cross said, putting the gun away as the other agents entered the penthouse. “Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to both capture the criminals and preserve your collection. I am sorry this has to happen, you will be compensated for your trouble.”

“Hmph. See that you do. I expect that you keep everything the way it is.” Lampwicke said, regaining some of his former haughtiness as he was escorted out. Cross sighed and collapsed onto the couch, cradling her forehead in her hand. She’d had to go around the law to serve justice before, but this was ridiculous. Generally, people cooperated with the police. With the Agency, no wonder they had to lie and force their authority wherever they went. She suddenly felt unexpected sympathy for Crenshaw. She’d only been doing this job for like three months; he’d been doing it for years now. No wonder his people skills were nonexistent. She shook her head. There had to be a better way.

“Are you alright, Detective?” Amber asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah. It’s just, this isn’t the path I envisioned when becoming an officer. I hate cops and other officials on the take, who put their own needs above the law. In the last year I’ve had to violate nearly every principle I stand for. It’s a little…overwhelming.” She tried to say it in her normal tough tone, but it just came out exhausted. Amber patted her on the back. It wasn’t right, seeing the normally towering woman, so full of fierceness and strength, beaten down like this. There was a moment of awkward silence, and Amber had to say something, anything to help her.

“Um…cheer up! Yeah, you have to, b-but at least it’s so everyone can make it out alright at the end, right? So everyone lives?”

“And that’s the only reason I can live with myself.” Cross growled. She stood up, looking over her troops. She hoped they would be enough. “Alright people, let’s get ready. We only have a few hours to prepare!”

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“Bye Mom, bye Dad, I’m going to the sleepover at Connor’s!” Riley called over her shoulder, lugging a heavy, stuffed backpack. Her sister’s spell did its’ work and both of them didn’t register anything unusual about that, despite only hearing about it now.

“Bye sweetie, have fun!” her mother called, barely paying attention.

“Goodbye.” she said softly, a sad look crossing her face as she turned away. Intellectually, she knew she was coming back, but it felt like she was leaving forever. In a way, she was. There would be no going back after this, one way or another. She wiped her face, definitely not misting up, and stared down the road determinedly. It was growing dark, making her eyes stand out more as they flickered with a dark, foresty green energy. Connor was waiting for her down the street, tapping his foot nervously as he leaned against the streetlight.

“You’re good to go?” Riley asked with a raised eyebrow.

“They think I’m playing videogames at your house. Which we could be doing, you know.” he said, voice hollow. He didn’t even convince himself with that. She smirked.

“We could. But we should?”

“Yeah, yeah. I get you.” They made their way down the street, glancing fearfully from side to side. Though they passed a few people here and there, out enjoying the summer air, they went unopposed. Riley’s heart hammered n her chest every time someone saw them. After thirty minutes of walking, they came to the hill. They stood in front of the gates of Amity Memorial Cemetery, the sky growing darker as clouds rolled in, thunder rumbling in the distance.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Connor asked seriously. She knew that whatever she decided, he’d support her. She also knew that despite how he acted, he yearned to do this as much as her. She nodded.

“We’ve gotta do this. It isn’t right, otherwise.” She was shaking. She felt chills as her blood receded. She tried to will her legs to move, but they were like jelly. Trying to take deep breaths didn’t seem to be helping, either.

Suddenly, she felt warmth in her hand. She turned to see Connor smiling reassuringly, holding her hand in his.

“Don’t worry. I’m here with you.” he said. She smiled and unzipped her bag, pulling out the Necronomicon and held it under her other arm. Its’ rough texture helped soothe her too. She stared determinedly into the cemetery, the trees groaning ominously in the wind, heralding the storm. They marched into the rows of graves, Riley’s eyes flickering a dark foresty green, Connor’s beginning to crackle a cold electric blue.