“Good.” The words were barely out of my mouth when Azriel’s magic swirled around me, zipping us across to Altona North. We reappeared in the middle of a road. I blinked and looked around. On the left there was an open field, although in the distance I could see the lights of what looked to be some sort of chemical plant. To the right there were several large warehouses. There were a few cars in the parking lot, which was a surprise given that it was after ten at night. The one we wanted was slightly farther down the road and had a blue two-story office block running across the front of the larger warehouse building. There were lights on in several of the offices, although I couldn’t actually see anyone moving about.
“You may not see them,” Azriel commented, studying the warehouse intently, “but they are nevertheless there.”
“How many? And is one of them our sorceress?”
“Five, and no.” He paused, his gaze narrowing. “There is an odd sense of energy toward the rear of the building, however.”
I studied that section of the warehouse. I couldn’t see anything that appeared out of place, and I certainly wasn’t feeling anything that hinted at the presence of magic. “Shall we go investigate?”
“That is what we came here for, is it not?” He drew Valdis, then added, “Follow me.”
“You keep saying that,” I said, as I fell in step beside him. “I would have thought that by now, you’d have come to accept the impossibility of it ever happening.”
“Oh, I accept it.” He glanced at me, amusement touching his lips. “But I keep saying it in the hope that one day, you will actually do the sensible thing.”
“I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting.”
“Perhaps not,” he said. “Though it would not matter if I did, because as an energy being, I do not actually have to breathe.”
I nudged him lightly with my shoulder. “You’d get bored if I actually was sensible.”
“That is something unlikely to happen, as I can think of many, many things we could do to relieve the onset of boredom.”
I grinned. “So can I. And I bet mine would be a whole lot more imaginative than yours.”
“That is a bet I would not take if I were you.” His gaze went to the office portion of the warehouse. “Two people are about to leave for the night.”
I glanced ahead. There were no cars parked along this side of the warehouse, so we were safe from discovery. “And the other three?”
“Working.”
“So there’s no one in the warehouse at the moment?”
“That I’m not so certain of.” He touched my elbow, lightly guiding me forward again. “The strange energy is very definitely present at the rear of the building, and I cannot see past it.”
I frowned. “So is it magic, or something else?”
He hesitated. “I think it is magic, but it feels fouler—more corrupted—than anything we’ve come across so far.”
Considering we’d come across some pretty foul magic, that was saying something. We cautiously made our way down the driveway. There were two large loading bays down this side of the building, but both roller doors were down and locked. There was also a regular door at the far end of the building, with a wooden bench sitting under a nearby tree and a bin filled with rubbish and cigarette butts to one side of it. Obviously, a retreat for the smokers.
We walked across to the door and Azriel tested the handle. It turned. He glanced at me, one eyebrow raised in surprise, then carefully opened the door and slipped inside. I followed.
There were no lights on in this section of the warehouse and the air felt cool. There was also a feeling of vastness to the darkness; it almost felt as if it were one big, empty space. And yet there were shelves nearby, most of which held stock, if the odd-shaped shadows were anything to go by.
I’m not feeling anyone close by, I said. And I still can’t feel the magic. Where is it?
Ahead and down.
His fingers clasped mine; then he tugged me forward. Though our steps were whisper quiet, they nevertheless seemed to echo. Or maybe it just seemed that way because of the tension that was beginning to build within me.
Down? Meaning we’re dealing with yet another basement?
It would appear our sorceress has a penchant for them.
Well, let’s hope this one doesn’t contain any nasty surprises.
He glanced over his shoulder, his blue eyes bright in the cover of night. That is another thing I would not bet on.