2 Days Later

  Edge’s crew was thrilled by the results of their heist.

  The mysterious disappearance of the Claws’ supplies had thrown their camp into disarray. Being deprived of vital tools and provisions was making their lives miserable, reducing the efficiency of their operation, and creating gaps in their defenses. Additionally, the hunters’ efforts had dealt psychological damage, spooking the jailbirds and leaving them jumping at every shifting shadow and creaking branch.

  Lilly’s device—the one that protected the crew from magical detection—had run out of silver aether shortly after the theft. But so far, the Claws hadn’t found them, and it seemed like the team was safe for the time being.

  Over the last two days, Edge’s crew was able to get closer to the convicts’ camp and learn more about their plans and personnel—information that would prove useful when they finally came into direct conflict. Their efforts wound up having a greater impact than he’d anticipated—to the point where the jailbirds’ attempts to find Trapper’s team had ground to a halt. If anything, the hunters’ guerrilla campaign was working a little too well.

  But nothing good lasts forever. Matters had taken a dramatic turn for the worse just a few hours earlier—when a convict crew pulling a supply wagon arrived from the north.

  After eavesdropping on their lookouts, the hunters had learned that the wagon contained a shipment of weapons and consumables Yussuf the Red had sent from the Gilded Heights—enough firepower to collapse the tunnels and bring the mountain down on top of Trapper’s head. If the jailbirds got close enough to place the magitech explosives, the expedition could be wiped out within a matter of minutes, and they had no idea the lethal threat was headed their way.

  The silver lining was that it was going to take the convicts a day or two to get everything ready and make their move. It meant there was a narrow window for Edge’s team to intervene and foil the jailbirds’ plans. While the situation was dire, there was a chance they could take advantage of this opportunity to flip the script—potentially ending the siege here and now.

  If they could pull off another heist, the crew would have a way to turn the Claws’ siege breaker into a weapon of their own. The jailbirds’ stash would be heavily guarded after what had happened. But if the hunters could break into the base again, steal the shipment, then use it to arm Trapper’s team, it might be enough to win the war all on its own.

  “Going back in there is going to be dangerous as hell,” Sasha said as the crew convened to discuss the matter. “But it’s our best chance of saving our people and turning the tables on the Claws.”

  “They’re going to be ready for us after our heist.” Edge rubbed his chin. “Even if they don’t know hunters from Puppet Town were involved or how we pulled it off. Walking in through the front door isn’t going to work this time.”

  “Maybe we can create a diversion,” Mel added. “Make them think we’re somewhere else, so they won’t expect it when we make our move.”

  “I have a few flares, some flashbangs, and a couple of smoke bombs left,” Lilly said, “plus what we looted from the crew we killed. I can rig the devices to make it seem like we’re attacking from a different direction. We can get into position, then slip in when everything goes off and they’re looking the other way.”

  As the women talked the matter through, Edge thought about unleashing his portable monster to sow confusion, but he ultimately decided against it. He wanted to save it for when he was sure the creature would attack the jailbirds instead of running into the jungle.

  If the monster eats enough of them, it might evolve and spawn a brood. Under the right circumstances, that could wind up creating mass casualties. He would ponder the matter and see what he could come up with, but it didn’t seem like the right move just yet.

  Since they didn’t know how long they had to work with, the crew would spend the rest of the day planning their assault and rigging their consumables, then break into the base at night. They would conduct the operation a few hours earlier than last time—just to make their theft harder to predict.

  In the end, they decided to enter the base from a different direction and try to loot the storeroom before the convicts knew they were there. This time, they would make a stealthy approach, then kill any Claws they came across and light the whole base on fire after their theft was complete. There wasn’t any reason for trickery past that point, since the jailbirds would know a crew from Puppet Town was responsible if they hadn’t figured it out already.

  While they refined the details of their strategy, the team moved into the jungle on the east side of the base and began preparing their consumables. Lilly knew a simple ritual spell that would let her create a timed activation—Edge’s first time seeing magic in action that wasn’t skill-based.

  They arranged the devices so it would look like a warband was approaching the camp when they went off, then Lilly gathered her concentration and began the ritual. First, she drew a runic circle on the ground—a complex arrangement of symbols whose meaning was beyond him. Once it was ready, she had Edge take out a tank of copper aether from his vault, then pour the distilled magicytes into the runes until the circle was complete.

  “Ok. It’s ready. The spell will trigger the devices around midnight—a few minutes apart—to create the illusion that a large force is advancing on the base. When the Claws find them, they will know something is wrong, so we must reach the supplies before that happens. Once we grab the explosives and anything else that looks dangerous, we will try to take out one of the teams guarding the tunnels and join up with Trapper’s group.”

  With that, all that was left was to go for it and pray their plan worked out.

  After waiting for night to fall, the hunters crept their way toward the jailbirds’ base of operations, heading for the western side of the wall. Edge had been worried there would be so many guards posted that getting inside without being spotted would be impossible, but there were even fewer scouts on duty than usual. They must be planning to attack in the morning, and everyone is resting up for the big assault.

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  It was a reckless move on the Claws’ part and a lucky break for his team. He was happy to take advantage of their overconfidence, although the situation made him vaguely uneasy. Now that he thought about it, he’d been hearing a small voice in the back of his mind all day, yelling that something was wrong. But since he couldn’t detect any problems and the clock was ticking, he dismissed it as a figment of his overactive imagination.

  By the time midnight drew near, he was feeling good about their chances—more optimistic than he had been in days and honestly more than the situation warranted. He knew his concerns were valid, but when he tried to focus on them, he couldn’t remember why he was worried anymore. He shrugged, focusing on the task at hand as the crew got into position and waited for the fireworks to begin.

  A few minutes later, the first flare lit up the night—followed by a series of explosions as the flashbangs went off. The procession of smoke, flares, and blasts would continue for the next ten minutes, and the hunters needed to break in before the jailbirds realized they had been tricked.

  “To arms!” one of the lookouts cried. “We’re under attack. An enemy warband is approaching from the east!”

  Edge had been worried the convicts wouldn’t take the bait, but the diversion wound up working out better than he’d dared to hope. Almost the entire strike force grabbed their weapons and disappeared into the jungle, including all four elite leaders. With only a handful of scouts guarding the base, his team made their move.

  Heart hammering in his chest, he followed Lillian into the camp with Sasha and Mel a few steps behind. It was eerie to see so few jailbirds inside their perimeter, but he supposed Puppet Town was due for some good luck after everything that had happened. It’s too late to back out now regardless.

  His team had watched the jailbirds unload the wagon earlier in the day and knew they were using the same storeroom the crew had broken into. It meant there weren’t any unknowns besides how many guards were on duty. There was a chance there would be some manner of magical trap, but Lilly planned to disarm them with a Disruption surge. Even if the hunters fucked up and tripped an alarm, it would only take a minute or two to steal the most valuable equipment, light the rest on fire, and get the hell out of there before the Claws emerged from the jungle.

  The voice in the corner of Edge’s mind was back—louder than before. He almost thought that he could make out what it was saying before shaking his head to clear his mind and returning his attention to the heist in progress.

  Despite his misgivings, the hunters’ run of good fortune continued. They slipped past the scouts without drawing attention to themselves and didn’t encounter anyone on their way to the base. When they arrived, the front door was unlocked and free from magical defenses.

  As they stepped inside the building, Edge felt a strange sensation coming from within—like someone was screaming into an ear that was plugged up with wax. He almost called the whole thing off before a surge of confidence erased his worries. He couldn’t understand what the voice was saying, and their mission had arrived at a critical juncture. Whatever is going on, we’ll be out of here in five minutes with the explosives in my vault.

  When they turned the corner and entered the hallway leading to the storeroom, the guards were asleep at their posts. It was hard to believe with the commotion occurring outside, but he wasn’t complaining. Lilly hit them with a dose of her magitech device, drawing the convicts into a deeper slumber, then everyone tiptoed up to the door.

  Lilly used a Disruption surge to make sure the area was free from skills while Sasha probed the portal for mechanical traps. When they were done, Edge cracked the door open, taking in a massive cache of weaponry and explosives. Holy shit. That’s enough ordnance to turn this entire area into a smoking crater. We’re lucky we made it in time.

  The hunters darted inside, closed the door behind them, and got ready to steal it all. But when his hands reached out to grab the first magitech bomb, they passed straight through the device like it was no more substantial than the memory of yesterday’s dream.

  The vague foreboding that had been building all day flared into full-blown alarm when Skill-Eater screamed inside his skull, tearing through the veil of magic that had been clouding his mind.

  “Edge, you have been under the effect of mind manipulation magic all day and are walking into a trap. You need to get out of there, now!”

  Now that he knew what was happening, he realized Skill-Eater had been trying to get his attention for hours. But the same spell that had boosted his confidence and erased his unease had rendered him deaf to his core’s warning until the ravenous lord finally managed to overcome the mind magic through sheer effort of will.

  Edge would have cried out a warning, but the women already knew something was wrong when everything in the storeroom wavered out of existence like a mirage drawn near.

  The crew darted for the exit, only to hear a crossbar slide into place. They pulled out their weapons, just as a man’s voice spoke. “I didn’t think this would work, Ella. But I must admit I’m impressed. They walked right into your trap—just like you said they would.”

  The hunters let loose with everything they had, hitting the walls, ceiling, and floor with their weapons and skills. Mel began chopping at the door, sparks flying with every swing of her axe. But to the crew’s dismay, the surfaces proved impervious to every form of attack.

  While the team struggled to escape, a woman’s voice rang out—self-satisfaction dripping from every syllable. “Of course it worked, Ripper. Once their concealment device stopped working, it was only a matter of time. It’s so easy to control people who care about others. Take a splash of what they most fear, mix in a dash of what they desperately need, and round it out with generous dollops of overconfidence and lowered inhibitions, and almost anyone will do exactly what I want.”

  “You were right, Ella. I didn’t realize how powerful your mind-influencing magic could be. It’s no wonder Yussuf made you a strike leader—your powers are fucking terrifying. Do you want me to gut them?”

  “That would be a waste after everything I went through to prepare this ritual. If I wanted to kill them, I would have simply led them into an ambush instead of going through all the trouble of getting them to step into my circle of their own free will. Neutralize their magic with your ultimate ability for another ninety seconds, and I will pay you what I promised.”

  While the Claws spoke, the hunters picked up the pace, unleashing their heaviest attacks. But to Edge’s rising dread, nothing worked. Whatever the jailbirds had done to create this trap, this chamber was impervious from the inside. Even Disruption didn’t seem to have any effect. By now, a series of runes had begun glowing along the floor—complex symbols far more advanced than the ritual Lilly had used to trigger their consumables.

  “Break the runes,” the shadowkiller yelled—desperation clear in her voice. Edge tried to activate Overdrive, but to his horror, nothing happened. Whatever is going on is canceling out our powers.

  “We’re still being affected by her mind magic,” Sasha said. “None of our skills are activating—everything we’ve seen is an illusion. This is fucked.”

  Meanwhile, Ripper and Ella continued their conversation like they didn’t have a care in the world. “It’s rare to have such valuable test subjects after all. If it seems like they will escape before the ritual is complete or the spell doesn’t work how it’s supposed to, feel free to slaughter them. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the show.”

  “Do you think we will get to watch them splat?”

  “I certainly hope so, but there’s only one way to find out.”

  By now, the light coming from the runes covering the floor was so bright it was hard to see, and Edge could sense a vast surge of mana welling up from below his feet.

  Edge was freaking out, on the border of outright panic. He tried asking Skill-Eater for help, then stepping into his core to buy time. But nothing worked. Before he could come up with another idea, Ella’s ritual spell hit critical mass, and the world vanished in a flash.