Celestina led, but Josh waited this time and brought up the rear while Killian and I stayed somewhere in the middle of the group.

The ground slowly fell off as the track descended, going deeper and deeper underground. Flickering lights were soldered on every forty feet stretch of the track, dimly illuminating the way.

I craned my neck and peered over the side, trying to see the ground beneath us, but there was only darkness.

“Careful,” Gavino warned from his spot behind me. “It’s a deep fall.”

“How far down is the ground?” I asked.

Gavino, able to see in the darkness with his vampire eyes, glanced down. “Just don’t fall.”

The track wound down in a corkscrew, and there was a fire trap on each level—which I destroyed with more bolts of lightning.

“It’s nice having a trained wizard.” Julianne patted my shoulder after I destroyed another crystal.

I snorted. “One of you would shoot these things to take it out.”

“Wouldn’t work,” Josh said from the back. “They’re enchanted against it.”

When we came to the next crystal—which Celestina marked out for me with a laser pointer—I took a moment to feel the magic layered around the crystal, and was surprised to discover Josh was right.

The only easy way to destroy the crystal was with wizard magic—which fae magic was notoriously weak against—or with another fae spell.

“It does seem like an architectural weakness.” Killian smirked as we walked over one of the lights embedded on the track. “One Tutu will be highly aggravated to learn of.”

“I can understand why it escaped her notice,” Rupert muttered. “Thinking to ward against wizards is like thinking to ward off rats.”

“Clearly not, or Hazel’s magic wouldn’t be nearly so useful. You can’t let your prejudices get in the way of strategy, Rupert, or you’ll end up dead.” Julianne’s voice was extra sweet, and when I glanced back at her she gave me a cheeky smile.

“Wizards are generally regarded as weak,” Killian said. “Mostly because they are unoriginal and fussy. Hazel, however, is proving what they could be. And while it is unlikely a House of similarly trained wizards will suddenly pop up, it is something Tutu should guard against in case of rogues.”

Killian’s observation silenced everyone, until the track came to an end, cut off by another giant door that was supposed to roll up into the ceiling like a garage entrance.

“A viewing area?” I asked.

“Precisely,” Josh said from the back.

“Expect enemies again,” Celestina warned. She peered up at the ceiling and shot at what looked like a locking mechanism, then savagely ripped the door up.

The viewing area was pitch black—not a single light. Knowing I wasn’t going to be any help, I crouched down, letting the vampires leapfrog over me. A few roars, the clang of swords, and all was silent.

“Clear!” Celestina called.

I stretched my hand above me and activated my blood, pulling magic from the air and transforming it into a big ball of blue light, casting a blue hue on the viewing area.

Celestina and the other vampires were busy tranquilizing the passed-out defenders—four werewolves, two fae, and two vampires—as I cautiously hopped off the track. At the far side of the garage-like structure was another track—this one wasn’t flat and train-like, but constructed by metal pipes. Clearly, it was the track the blocks were transported on.

Josh joined me, staring intently at his cellphone. “According to the schedule we saw on the office computer, the necessary block is still located in the Sapphire Bay, which is…this path.” He pointed to the metal tube on the far left.

“We’re going to walk to it?” I asked. “On a pipe?”

Josh adjusted his glasses. “The software used for controlling the blocks is highly sophisticated and imbedded with magic. Strictly speaking, it’s not possible for a vampire to run, and while you might be able to power it, the security to crack into it is beyond my rudimentary skills.”

I eyed the pipe—which was perhaps about a foot wide, but still circular, which meant it was going to be a heck of a lot easier to pitch over the sides. “Great.”

“You didn’t want to be carried,” Killian reminded me.

I rolled my shoulders back. “And I still don’t.”

“If you slip, there is a fairly good chance one of us will catch you,” Josh said.

I wasn’t sure if he was trying to be encouraging, or realistic, but the thought still wasn’t a happy one.

Killian smirked and motioned to the pipe. “After you, Wizard.”

Josh and a few other vampires hopped on the pipe with ease, starting down the path. I shot Killian a glare, but marched after them, my ball of light lagging behind me like a pet on a leash.

The walk was pretty uneventful, but only because Killian flung mints at three different sets of wards. Since I hadn’t seen much dragon magic before—though I was coming to recognize its sooty, brimstone-like flavor—I couldn’t tell exactly what they were for, but I was almost certain one of the wards caused instant death.

The pipe split, with the main path continuing on into darkness while a smaller pipe led to a docking bay dimly lit with red-hued lights. Even I could read the sign that said “Ruby Bay” from our pipe, so I was surprised when Josh and the leading vampires hopped onto the smaller pipe.

“This isn’t the Sapphire Bay,” I said. “Don’t we need to keep going?”

“We will,” Killian said. “But first we have an insignificant side task.”

I suspiciously peered at him over my shoulder—because nothing Killian labeled as ‘insignificant’ in the current circumstances could actually be a small matter—but fell in line behind Josh. My stride was a little wobblier since the pipe was much smaller. I clambered the last few steps and leaped onto the bay when I felt my feet starting to slip. I rolled on my shoulder and popped to my feet—a testament to all my new training—and brushed my clothes off.

Killian leisurely climbed onto the docking bay and sauntered up to the rows and rows of lockboxes. He meandered through them for a minute, then stopped and tapped a desk sized lockbox. “This one.”

I scratched my neck. “This one what?”

Celestina set a glittering gem on the lockbox, where it sparkled and gleamed. Unfamiliar magic pinged like ripples in a pond—it was so swift and sudden reacting I didn’t even have time to process what it smelled or tasted like—and the lockbox lock clicked before the door swung open, revealing a box stuffed with glittering jewels, a few gold figurines, and what I thought looked like a magic sword.

“What are you doing?” I hissed. “You said we weren’t taking anything besides the contents of my lockbox! You swore to Tutu you wouldn’t take anything else!”

“I said I wouldn’t take anything.” Killian reached into his tailored suitcoat and pulled out a cream-colored envelope sealed with a dollop of red wax. “I never said I wouldn’t put anything inside.”

Chapter Ten

Hazel

He set the letter on a stack of sparkling jewels, then turned his back to the lockbox and glided off.

Celestina shut the lockbox, nodding when the lock clicked, and all the vampires made for the small pipe.

“Come along, Hazel,” Killian called. “Don’t dawdle.”

I grumbled under my breath as I hurried to follow, slowing down as soon as I hit the smaller pipe. My skin was clammy from my rush of anxiety by the time we picked our way back to the main pipeline. “That was the Night Court’s lockbox, wasn’t it?” I asked.

Killian, now in front of me, paused long enough to smirk back at me. “I wonder…”

“I would have thought a fae Court would need a bigger lockbox,” I said.

“Fae Courts traditionally store their wealth in their realms,” Celestina explained. “The Midwest Courts only keep their truly priceless magical tools here. Supposedly.”

“It’s all guesswork,” Killian said. “Because we certainly haven’t seen the insides of a Court lockbox.”

I wanted to rub my forehead and squeeze the bridge of my nose, but I wasn’t going to do anything that compromised my balance at the moment, so I dutifully followed after Killian. “I bet your letter said something along the lines of ‘I was in here, guess what I stole’, right?”

Killian actually chuckled. “I don’t know if I should be proud that your intellect has clearly improved as a result of training with us, or concerned that you believe I am that predictable.”

I grunted, but some suspicious part inside of me finally relaxed. I knew there was no way he was doing this just for me—or to provide his Family with a good training experience.

We walked in darkness—except for my ball of light—for a few minutes, until the big pipe split again, this time leading to a bay lit with purple-y-blue lights. The sign read “Sapphire Bay”.

“This is our stop,” Josh announced.

Killian held his hand out to me, helping me make the jump to the smaller pipe. “I suggest you take only what you need from your lockbox,” he said. “Carrying a lot while we flee would be a pain.”

“Yeah, I just want the ring.” I inched along the smaller pipe, a drop of sweat dripping down my spine when my balance wobbled for a moment. “I can come back for everything else.”

The pipe connected about three feet below the bay rim, so I had to heft myself up over the edge of it. Most of the vampires jumped over my head and landed on the Sapphire Bay with hushed taps when their boots touched down on the metal floor. I brushed my hands off on my thighs, and I swear I felt my heart throb all the way down in my toes as I carefully zigzagged back and forth in front of the lockboxes.

It took me a few minutes to find the right block of lockboxes—it was located at the very back of the bay—and then another long minute to find my parents’ lockbox, tagged with a metal plate numbered 45228. Their lockbox was about the size of a shoebox—which was what I expected. We wizards did all right when it came to money, but very few wizard Houses managed to build enough wealth to rival vampires or fae.