Shadow's Bane (Dorina Basarab 4)

I couldn’t tell exactly how many because a mage had his hand up, palm facing the camera and fingers spread, in a vain attempt to keep any images from reaching the masses. But if that was the goal, the Circle’s guys should have thought to check the security feed. Below the candid shot was a whole row of grainy stills from a video of the attack. And while they were hard to make out, thanks to poor lighting and cheap equipment, they were recognizably the dynamic duo. Only this time, Revenge Granny had gone full Scarface, with a machine gun in one hand and a sawed-off shotgun in the other.

“They’re really something, huh?” Fin said, looking over my shoulder.

Yeah. I just wasn’t sure what that something was. But I knew what it’d be if the Circle caught up with them.

Vigilante justice wasn’t a concept they understood.

“How did you get this?” I gestured at the screen.

“Easy.” He looked proud of himself. “I saw the paper and recognized Big Blue from the fights. You remember him. He threw you at a wall.”

I didn’t say anything.

“Anyway, I saw the story and thought, huh. He’s looking for some payback. And I didn’t think he was gonna stop at one slaver. I mean, look at the scars on that guy. Some people are owed.”

“So you did what exactly?”

“Called in some favors. Heard some rumors about which smugglers still got game, what with the Senate trying to shut them down and all. And the Circle’s just as bad. These guys been operating for years and nobody cares, but all of a sudden—”

“Fin.”

“Yeah, so anyway, I set up a camera or two. You know, the kind they use at sporting events, ’cause they can fly around after the action? Cost me something, ’cause I had to bribe some of their boys to do it since my guys . . . well, they’re good, but ‘good’ don’t mean ‘suicidal’—”

“Wait. You bribed some of the slavers to give you a feed of their activities?” I stared at him.

“Not of their activities. Just of a room. One near where the merchandise was bein’ kept, ’cause that’s what these two are after. The cameras only activate if there’s some major event for them to follow, like Big Blue there tear-assing through the place—”

“Why on earth would they do that? Why would anyone?”

Fin frowned at my obvious disbelief. “The head honchos wouldn’t, but the low men on the totem pole? They don’t make the big bucks, and figure what the boss don’t know won’t hurt him. Come on, Dory. You know how it goes. How many guys you bribed through the years?”

“Not that many.” I usually didn’t have the scratch. “And not slavers!”

“Well, it works the same way. And these guys, they never think they’re gonna get hit. It’s obviously gonna be the other guy.” He rolled his eyes. “So why not set up a camera in a closet or something and pocket some paper? Anyway, these two Rambos, they’re folk heroes. Two days and they’re folk heroes—”

“And you’re taking bets on . . . what?”

“Everything. Who’re they gonna hit next? How long does it take for them to clean house? How many head shots does Granny get—”

“I get the idea.”

“It’s a windfall! I haven’t made this much since the ley line races, and the odds kill you on those—”

“Do you know where I can find him?” I nodded at the screen.

Maybe I didn’t need Curly, after all.

“Sure I do. Right—” Fin stopped abruptly, looking behind him. Because he’d just noticed the same thing I had. The fight wasn’t over.

I heard several nearby patrons shout a warning, but of course, no one who needed it could hear. And Blue was either too tired, or too distracted by the handful of slaves coming up to thank him, to notice the men headed his way. One of the survivors must have called for backup, and it was coming in spades. I saw a group of men running down the now-deserted dock, saw them flood through the open doors, saw them lob a collective spell that sent shock waves through the air—

And then I didn’t see anything.

The feed had gone dead.

Chapter Thirty-four

Fifteen minutes later, Fin and I swerved onto a street and then screeched to a halt. Because the warehouse wasn’t dark anymore. Somebody had beaten us to the punch, and their guys were crawling all over the place, including one who magically appeared beside my car before I could slam us into reverse.