Hi,

The ravens, oh the ravens in the night sky! That's where the last chapter ended and that's where we begin. It's common knowledge that a raven is a bird of ill omen. So, what will it be for Anna? We all know she could use some luck right now... 

Lara

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Chapter 34

My eyes snapped to the Invisibility Cloak's headquarters, slipping underneath the veil to second sight, scanning the shields around the building. The five outer rings of protection were tight and thick with magic, blurring against auratic gray. No motion, no breach. No rogue witches.

The question was if the shields and rings of protection were tight enough to withstand the magical backlash of a null bomb. Then again, I was pretty sure the Raven would come with more than just one null bomb in his pockets. No matter what, I had to stop him before he managed to use any null bombs or whatever else he had up his sleeves.

A sound burst into the bubble of silence. Like a gash leaking blood, the stillness came undone in the plane of aerial matter. I widened my range of vision, peered through the veil of sub-realities into second sight. Dark auras on the tops of the buildings around me.

The Inri Brotherhood had shown up. As expected they'd positioned themselves on surrounding rooftops.

While I was with them, the Raven always chose two or a maximum of three spots on which the rogues entered to descend on their target. If the Raven managed to set off a null bomb, I would have no chance of stopping him. The odds were no one would have.

I frowned. This time I detected five spots of entry.

The rogues had positioned themselves on five rooftops. From which one were they going to attack?

My eyes went from one to the other, stilled on the one closest to me. There, between the dark-red spots of aura, a solitary red one. The aura of a witch. Was that the aura of Katie Trench, the Force member they abducted?

It was a gamble, but I was pretty sure the Raven was going to let her ­ or whoever that witch on the rooftop was ­ do his dirty work. If someone was going to set off a null bomb, it was probably that witch. Another victim. Just like I was.

Motion on the magical plane, like the stir of a spoon in lukewarm coffee. There, one rooftop over. I froze, then widened my range of vision. Katie Trench, if that was her, wasn't the only witch the rogues had brought. There was a red spot on each of the rooftops they occupied.

Five rooftops. Five witches. Why five?

Five.

My eyes snapped to the Cloaking Department's headquarters. The answer was there.

The building had five magical rings of protection. What if the Raven was planning to break through the rings one by one?

My hand flew to my mother's pendant. I had no idea how, but I had to stop this.

Now.

I stepped into the portal, welcoming the interdimensional chaos. Time and space whirled in an interstellar rollercoaster, closing in on me. The portal opened and my feet hit the ground in a soft thud. I was on the first rooftop.

I crouched low, hiding in the shadow of a wooden water tank. Wind whipped back and forth, caressing the building in a deadly whistle. The rooftop was dotted by ventilation shafts and chimneys shadowed by the massive water tank, nooks and crannies that could be used to hide behind.

I was on the same rooftop as one group of rogues. Without second sight I had no idea where exactly the elemental witch was, but he or she would probably be somewhere in their midst.

The sound of wings flapping somewhere behind. I flattened my back against the base of the water tank, watched two ravens fly by motionlessly. There was no doubt in my mind: Raphael Medici was using the ravens. He'd have eyes everywhere. Once the birds got a glimpse of me, Medici would be aware of me, as he was aware of all his enemies, controlling his chess board with the eye of a master player.

That meant I had a maximum of two minutes until someone was bound to notice my presence. If I wanted to stop the Raven, I had to either incapacitate the elemental witches or snatch away all the null bombs. I was going for both.

I would need a lot of power to do that. Fast.

I drifted back into second sight, lifting the veil of auratic gray. The red aura I'd seen in their midst shined through second sight, stronger from up here. I could feel the rogues' presence like a second pulse licking my neck. They were there, less than fifty feet away from me. Their backs were turned towards myself – all of them watching something.

There was motion on the rooftop across the street. Someone stepped forward on the building facing ours. I recognized the vicious aura – a burning comet of red and black smoke. I recognized the way he moved.

Raphael Medici.

The Raven was approaching the edge of the rooftop facing the headquarters. He wasn't hiding in the shadows like I would have expected him to. Why?

I frowned. It was as if he was watching something. My eyes swerved to the headquarters. Was I too late? There was no sign of forced entry or motion. The building looked like a sleeping giant, resting in a cemetery of concrete and steel. The streets were still empty apart from-

I stilled. There, at the foot of the street in front of the building. A female figure stumbled forward, shoved by another hooded figure. Second sight snapped into place. The hooded figure showed a dark-red aura. Rogue witch. The female's aura was red. A witch.

Maybe it was Katie Trench. Maybe another witch. Another innocent.

The rogue opened a portal and vanished, leaving the witch alone in the street. She stood there, facing the building. Then, slowly, she raised her arm. Light caught and reflected from something she held in her hand.

She has a null bomb. Crap.

My eyes went back up. The rogues in front of me shifted, crouching low on the rooftop with their eyes fixated on the elemental witch. This was my chance.

I raised my hands to the air, feet deeply rooted to the ground, and pulled on the cuff. My element came to life between my fingers, following my call. Air particles disintegrated like ash falling apart, scattered to the four winds by force. I let the palms of my hands drift apart, fingers splayed. Particles, air and matter left more space as the bubble widened. A near perfect vacuum, bigger than any I'd made before.

I lowered my hands and sent the vacuum towards the rogues, pulled it over the front of the first rooftop like a giant hood. Time seemed to hold its breath as stillness settled. The magic streamed out, volatile and wild. Nothingness sliding into crammed mass. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold on with all I had.

Too much magic.

The vacuum pushed forward and I could feel the rogues and the witch stirring inside, trying to move. The first one fell to his knees.

A ripple in the auratic landscape. My eyes snapped to the street below. Crap. The witch was in the middle of setting off the null bom-

The power tore through time and space like a silent avalanche rolling in. The tear in the elemental landscape was so strong, it threatened to unhinge whatever tight-knit system upheld the laws and physics of matter. The explosion raced through the night, invisible arms packed with power, reaching for the Invisibility Cloak's headquarters. They plummeted into the wards and vanished in there, as if the wards had simply sucked in all the power.

I released a breath. Maybe the wards were goin-

A stir and a crack. An imbalance on another level. I went into second sight and beyond. The wards trembled, a fissure like an angry teardrop glowing read. The teardrop elongated, a trickle of red running down its surface.

No.

The ward trembled as the crack spread and widened. A shudder and it collapsed into itself in a silent moan. Then more motion on the street below. Another witch was walking up towards the building, her red aura like a beacon in the night.

The Raven was going to set the null bombs in quick succession. I was running out of time.

The world drew back, as if in anticipation of the next suction of power. The explosion shook the night noiselessly, as the next null bomb went off.

Crap.

I stared at the rogues on my rooftop, eyes sifting through them in second sight. There. The elemental witch was already on the ground, unconscious. One witch less meant one null bomb less. I let go of the vacuum and wrapped my hands around my mother's pendant.

There were rogue witches on all of the remaining four rooftops. But where were the remaining elemental witches? None on the one next to me, none another roof over.

My eyes zeroed in on the rooftop farthest away from me. A red aura blinking in second sight, as if winking in secret understanding. That would be my next target.

"Stop her," someone yelled.

Motion from the corner of my eye. Not all of the rogues on my rooftop were unconscious. Crap.

I opened the portal and stepped into the realms of netherspace. The last thing I saw was a stirring figure, rising to its feet.

* * *

I landed on the rooftop farthest away, carried forward by the momentum I'd gained in the depths of the in between. I'd opened the portal too fast, rushed the motions and lost the final, crucial moment of concentration I needed. My legs felt like rubber as I came down on one knee.

The rooftop was different ­ just a small water tower, no other bigger obstacles I could use to my advantage. It was too dark to see far with human eyesight alone. My eyes flew over the rooftop, dipping into second sight. Six rogues were gathered on the front, watching the scene below. And there, in their midst, a burning red aura. Another elemental witch – maybe the next one to go down. I had to be fast.

I lifted my palms, ridding air and space of particles and matter, and sent the vacuum towards the group of rogues.

I had to-

A sound like a hiss slicing through air. I turned and moved. The power bolt grazed my shoulder. I was thrown back, hit the ground hard. The absolute vacuum began to dissolve, imploding in on itself.

I pushed to my feet, peering into the darkness that seemed to move in time with my motion. I shook my head, reaching for second sight.

There, behind.

I turned and drew up a wall of air.

Joshua stepped out of the shadows, grinning. The tattoo on his right shoulder reached up to his neck – a dragon that seemingly licked at his ear. It was identical to the tattoo his brother wore on his left side. I knew. I saw it.

The rogue witch was wearing a black leather jacket that looked too big on him. His shirt was in shreds and there were burn marks on his hands and clothes. I thought Andy was going to come out as the winner in their fight, but if Joshua was here ...

Crap. What had happened in the tunnels?