We waited for a few minutes before following the crew into the vault. Unlike the one at the North Pole, everything was kept in a single, very organized space. The casino did employ an additional layer of security that could not be hacked on sight, so the crew would have to use a few extra tricks to get what they wanted without anyone noticing.

Certain magics could easily be used to mask thoughts and intentions, and with the help of the uniforms and the hacker in the security office, they didn’t have to worry as much about being noticed. If they could remember to keep their hands to themselves, they could wander the vault for hours. The real test would be once they found what they were looking for. How were they planning to steal things without triggering a shutdown?

My eyes scanned the rows and rows of artifacts, some that were of ages long past and some that must have been created recently from the way the wisps of magic trailed off them. Maguire frowned as he stared at one of them, glancing at me quizzically.

“Sometimes it takes a while for the magic to find its balance in the artifacts,” I explained. “As it settles into what it wants to be, it releases the excess back into the world around it. The effect is subtle, but you have to be careful keeping newer artifacts around alchemy supplies. I've seen it lead to some interesting accidents.”

“Is it weird that I want to try that and see what happens?”

“Not in the slightest. Let's just say there's a reason we have multiple workshops. You can learn a lot by messing around and seeing what happens.”

“Sounds like it could be a fun reward for a job well done.”

“It really can be. We need to get the job done first, though. The compact is starting to lose them with all of the ambient magic. It's time to show off your tracking skills.” I slid the compact into my pocket and let Maguire take the lead.

Working in personnel up at the North Pole made him good at finding patterns, things, and people. The environment here was a unique one, but that just added some fun to the challenge. He started walking and I followed close behind him, scanning our environment for anything that stood out as being connected to the Jacks. Our artifacts didn’t often end up in collections like this, but it wasn’t unheard of. Sometimes things got lended out as a show of good faith, and I knew of a few that I would need to get the rest of the Society back.

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I stopped short of walking into Maguire as we neared another corner. He gestured for me to move back so I pressed myself against the wall.

“They are a few isles over,” he whispered.

“Any idea what's over there?”

“Not sure. I know where we've been but I don't know what is next. Has to be old, though. Probably rare.”

“The kind of things that would be difficult to track and worth a pretty penny to the right person. Mastermind knows what he's doing.”

“I certainly hope so. Otherwise he isn't really living up to his name.”

I held back a laugh before I could completely blow our cover. His snark could rival most Jacks and it made me feel a little more at home. I pulled out the compact again and opened it. The image that appeared was blurry, but after a few taps, it started to come into focus.

“Ohhh the irony,” I muttered. “Stealing luck from a casino.”

“Luck?” Maguire raised an eyebrow.

“Artifacts crafted to draw forth good fortune, or take the good fortune of others. Most are pretty harmless but these are particularly potent. Someone could do a lot of damage with just one of these, and they are going for several. Must be a serious security leak if outsiders not only knew these existed, but where to find them.”

Luck was an easy enough thing to sway into leaning one way or another, if you know what you are doing. The changes would be small, though, like a breeze causing a candle’s flame to dance about.

This vault didn’t hold mere luck charms, though. These artifacts held more power than a person should be allowed to manipulate. Using just one could cause a ripple effect with disastrous consequences, and here the crew was stealing several. I didn’t want to think about what the endgame was. Not now. Not until this whole charade was over.

“Is it time we bring an end to this game?”

“Be my guest.”

Maguire reached over and pushed an unlit candle off the nearby shelf, setting off the alarms and sending the vault into a complete shutdown.