"The red is more opaque near the ground, which means magic is concentrated there. That's usually a mark of a bouncer. Regular wards have uniform thickness, like the ones I used to have on my apartment. They can be opened or closed, but once they break, they take several magic waves to regenerate. This one will surge right back up."
"Your wards are transparent, too," Curran said.
"I could make them in color. Transparent wards take more effort. In this case they are warding an area about three miles in diameter. They went for the most bang for their buck--the strongest ward with the least effort. And to people who don't know about wards, giant red domes look impressive."
The access road spat us out into the field. It was half full--search parties trickled in via the other two roads. A vampire completely covered in purple sunblock rose at our approach and waved his claws. I parked. The moment I stepped outside, Andrea was there. "The Keepers took over the MSDU."
"How?"
"Remember that buddy of mine I called to check out de Harven?" Andrea said. "He has three kids. All of them chock full of magic. So I called him." She held up her hands. "I know, I know. I wasn't going to say anything. I just wanted to suggest to him that he take his family on a trip to the coast or something. He wasn't at his number. So I called the reception in his building. Some guy I never spoke to answered and said that my friend was on bereavement leave. I was right there, so I dropped by his house. His wife says he didn't come home last night. She called the base, and MSDU told her they were holding him overnight due to an emergency. She didn't think anything of it. So I came by here. Look!" She thrust a pair of binoculars at me. "Third bunker from the left."
I looked through the binoculars. First, second, third ... A leg in urban fatigues and an Army-issue steel-toed boot stuck out from behind the bunker. I waited a couple of seconds. It didn't move. Either he was suffering from a sudden bout of severe narcolepsy or we had a dead soldier. A body like that wouldn't be left lying about if the base were still under military control. The Keepers must've ta ken the base.
I passed the binoculars to Curran. He looked through them.
Jim came striding up, his cloak flaring behind him. "The gate's shut down. The ward's blocking the approach."
"Did you try the emergency channel?" Curran asked.
"Twice. No response. The People tried it on their end as well, and nothing. The base is shut down. Phones are working, but they aren't taking any phone calls."
"All right," Curran said. "Send up the flares. Get everyone here."
Jim turned and raised his hand. A young shapeshifter ran from group to group. At the far end of the field, mages raised their staves. Magic popped, like a large firecracker, and seven green bursts exploded in the sky.
THE SHAPESHIFTERS LINED UP ALONG THE WARD'S perimeter. Some I knew, some I didn't. I sat on top of the Jeep. I'd need the energy for the fight.
Next to me Ghastek stood, leaning on the Jeep's hood, looking slightly absurd in a formal black suit and a gun-gray shirt. Two vampires sat at his feet like bald, mutated cats, both coated in bright lime-green sunblock. Ghastek had enough range to navigate vampires from the other end of the city. Unlike us, he didn't have to be here in person.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be off hiding in some armored bus miles away?" Ghastek glanced at me. "Derision, Kate? How unlike you. I'm here because when this unfortunate affair is over, people will remember who was here and who wasn't."
"I take it Mulradin chose to evacuate."
Ghastek bent his lips a little. It was almost a smile. "It's an unfortunate fact of life that some people value discretion above valor. As the saying goes, fortune favors the brave."
Or the foolish. "And of course, the fact that if we survive this, you'll come out looking like a hero has nothing to do with your decision."
He widened his eyes. "Why, Kate, you might be right. If only I had thought of that."
Maybe one of the Keepers would shoot him.
Below us Kamen stared at the ward. Two younger volhvs watched him. He said that about twenty minutes before the activation, the device