August 23 | Day

Hearing voices coming from the shed early the next morning, I went to investigate and found Dex and Abuela Maya huddled over some kind of experiment. Both women wore protective goggles, Abuela's held on by a colorful beaded lanyard. A long countertop against one wall of the outbuilding operated as a workstation where lab equipment cluttered the surface, and a bulbous glass bottle bubbled pearlescent liquid over a burner.

Dex glanced over her shoulder when I walked in. "Morning, princess," she greeted me. Our eyes latched and held for one second, two, three...four. The chemistry between us was electric. I ducked to hide a smile.

"What are you working on?" I asked.

"An order for Darcy Cyprian," she replied.

"Isn't he the vampire after my book?" Frowning, I rested an elbow on her desk.

"One and the same. He contacted me about a substance called the Hermetic Draught, and since it's common knowledge that I'm a potions master, I couldn't turn him down. But, with this, I can keep tabs on how close he gets to finding out that we have The Book of Tides." She dabbed at her forehead with the back of her wrist and moved to show me an image on her computer. "Take a look," she said.

On the screen was a tattered page of ancient text, stained with age and dirt. I could barely make out the faded handwriting, and I didn't recognize any of the ingredients. It was still mind-boggling to me that spell books and magic potions actually existed.

I shook my head. "I don't like the idea of you working for him. How will this help us?"

"Darcy believes the Hermetic Draught is the key to unsealing the Map of Destiny, an artifact that leads to whatever a man desires. Theoretically, it can lead him to The Book of Tides," Dex explained as she renewed her work. "Now, I did some research and discovered that the map was originally sealed by druids and should require an equally skilled mage to open it. However, if Darcy thinks the draught will work, then it just might."

Abuela dripped a dropperful of a viscous brown fluid into the beaker. "I have some familiarity with our foe. He used to be much more subtle in his pursuits of power, but lately something has him desperate to cement his reign over the Council of Overlay Affairs. Could it be the coming Age?" she asked.

"The Age of Magic?" Dex shrugged.

I didn't know what they were talking about, and it showed on my face.

"Wondrous new technologies have opened minds," Abuela Maya said to me, "and the impossible has become commonplace. Humans are connecting the dots about spiritual practices from around the world, realizing that consciousness is a powerful tool that can bend reality, in effect, ushering magic back into the hands of mankind.

"In addition, scientific breakthroughs in the fields of quantum physics and neurobiology are providing evidence to support what we are seeing." She pushed up her safety goggles. "Before long, this higher vibration of human consciousness, in combination with perhaps sentient technology, will unleash limitless potentials, and Supernaturals like Darcy Cyprian are right to be afraid."

I stared at the potion they were crafting. "So, what does the vampire's ambitions mean for us?"

"As far as Dracy is concerned, this definitely impacts our timeline." Dex leaned against her workstation and crossed her legs at the ankles. Her intense gaze traveled my body and returned to my eyes. A shiver of pleasure at being admired coursed through me.

I placed my hands on a glass display case in the middle of the shed and studied the delicate biome of fungi and lichen that it housed. Thoughts of magic spells and artificial intelligence and power-hungry Supernaturals swirled around in my head. "Then we need to hit the museum tonight," I determined.

Dex hesitated. "Are you sure you're ready for that?" she asked.

"Ready or not," I turned to her bravely, "it's what has to be done. We can't let the vampire find The Book of Tides. We need to get it to the City of Immortals before he ever gets his hands on the Map of Destiny."

"I'll let Legend know," she agreed.

"And I'll go talk to Fitz," I said. "I know this is the leg of our journey that carries the most risk of being caught by humans. I think it's best if he stays here at the cottage. I don't want him anywhere near trouble."

Dex inclined her head, and I left them to their work.

Upon stepping outside, I spotted Legend by the pond, talking on his phone. His voice carried to me, and I overheard him saying, "Any amount you can send would help, Mamo... Of course, I know he's upset with me! I can't do anything about that from jail!"

Reluctant to eavesdrop, but curious to know what he was talking about, I questioned whether I had heard him right. Why had he mentioned jail? Uneasiness shot through me. Maybe Fitz hadn't misread the situation when he said there was more to the dragon shifter than met the eye.

I gazed at the water, wishing I could escape my doubts and fears about this mission and the people drawing me deeper into their intriguing lives. But I turned towards the cabin instead. What Legend had going on was none of my business.

I found Fitz in the kitchen, trying his hand at making breakfast. He was standing at the stove, stirring a pot of something that smelled delicious. I leaned against the archway and watched him for a moment, amused by the sight of my usually-chaotic best friend trying to be domestic.

"How's it going?" I asked.

Fitz turned around and smiled at me. "It's going great! I'm making pancakes!"

"Pancakes?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I watched a YouTube video."

I laughed. "Well, I'm sure they'll be delicious. What can I do to help?"

"Set the table, will you?"

I nodded and went to get the plates and silverware. As I was setting the table, I couldn't help but swallow a lump in my throat. There had been so much friction in our relationship since our fight, and I wanted it all to go away. But I hadn't had time to deal with the rift in our bond. I hadn't used the voice of a siren to entice Fitz to leave again, either. After hearing the latest on Darcy Cyprian, I wondered if I should have.

"Legend and Dex and I have some things to take care of tonight," I broached the subject.

Fitz jumped as the batter he had drizzled into the skillet popped and sizzled from too much oil. I moved past him to turn down the heat. He grinned sheepishly. "I take it you don't want me to come," he said.

"It might be safest for you to stay here with Abuela Maya."

"Why can't the agents handle it themselves, then? It seems pretty strange that they're supposed to be keeping you from a killer but they keep dragging you into FBI business with them." He stopped cooking to scrutinize me. "What's actually going on, Nixie?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I stared at the floor until I saw smoke rising from the stove from the corner of my eye. I grabbed a dishcloth and removed the skillet.

"If I could tell you, I would, but I can't, Fitz. I just... Can you trust me?" I asked.

He expelled a breath but nodded. "Please, take care of yourself, Nixie. Be careful," he begged.

***

That night, we took a rideshare under a fake identity. We left Fitz at home in Baton Rouge with Abuela Maya. As soon as we arrived at the museum, Dex slipped behind the dumpsters and came out in a black catsuit that showed off her body to maximum effect. Legend and I stared at her with mouths agape, but there was no time to feign shock at how delectable she was.

She smilingly rolled her eyes and said, "Ten minutes, tops."

Nodding in tandem, we synced our timers on our phones as Dex disappeared through a grate in the side wall. The expansive green hills and gardens surrounding the stately museum were bathed in the bluish white halogen of street lamps, and oak trees cast long, wide shadows beneath the starless sky. The parking lot was almost empty. Nothing stirred but us.

Two minutes later, Legend and I made it to the front of the building in our civilian clothes as my earpiece crackled with Dex's voice: "I wiped out the security alarm. Move in."

Ahead of us, Legend's dragon clambered up the facade of the building from camera to camera, electrically disrupting their signals. The red lights went dead as we moved along. We rushed to the front doors before the guard could lock them.

"Stop! We need to get in!" I shouted, despite the butterflies in my stomach. Anything could go wrong, but everything had to go right. I steeled my spine and remembered my vow to prove myself. I could do this. I straightened my shoulders, using the voice of a siren. "Open the door, please."

The kindly older man in uniform looked as if he wanted to deny us entry, but he changed his mind and opened the door a fraction. "Is there a problem?"

"I lost my cellphone in here earlier, and I really need to find it," I said.

"Yeah, it has her last voicemail from her late mother on it. It'll mean a lot to us if you let us take a look around for it," Legend added, the way we had rehearsed.

The old-timer scratched his neck with a scrunched, uncertain face. "Well, if you come back tomorrow morning, I bet it'll be in the Lost and Found. We're closing shop for the night." Over his shoulder, the museum was devoid of guests and most of the interior lights were off. The place looked oddly bereft without gaggles of school children and art students.

"What is it, Pete?" Another security guard started coming over.

Pete yelled my request to his colleague who strolled to join him. Legend and I shared a look. I didn't plan on taking no for an answer. For the other man's benefit, I infused my voice with mild urgency, "You can follow me around if you like. I promise I'm not here to steal the Mona Lisa."

"It ain't here anyway," he chuckled as he hiked a thumb behind him. "Don't be such a stickler, Pete. Come on in, darlin', and I'll get the boys to help you look. Don't you tell nobody I let you do this, though, alrighty?"

"It'll be like it never happened," I smiled.

"Everything don't have to be by the book every time." He winked at Pete. "It's called Southern hospitality."

"You're the boss," Pete shucked.

I had the sense of being trapped as the doors got locked behind us, but Legend took my hand and led me towards the water cooler, where four other guards were gathered. I tensed, realizing that the night shift must have had more workers than the day shift. Legend patted my hand reassuringly, and I tried to calm down.

"Where do you remember having it last, sweetheart?" the supervisor turned to me and asked.

"The chariot exhibit," I blurted out.

"You fellas help these two kids find this young lady's phone, would you? Pete, wait down here to let 'em out," he ordered.

I knew Legend and I had only five to six minutes left. I jogged upstairs ahead of the guards, pretending to be anxious about finding the phone. Surrounded by stunning works of art, kept out of reach by cases and velvet ropes, I daydreamed for a moment that I was a glamorous movie star playing at being a burglar. Except this was real, and so was the threat of being caught.

As Legend inched toward the chariot, his dragon scrambling after him, I led the security guards to the other side of the room. "It has to be around here somewhere," I lied as I peeked under a chair.

Another glance back revealed one of the guards pivoting to follow my companion. "I'll go with the other kid," he called out. Unfortunately for him, Dex swept up behind the security guard and took him down with an arm around his neck. He didn't even have time to struggle.

I watched her apply pressure to his carotids until he passed out without a sound. She dragged his body behind a display case before my three remaining guards could turn to see what I was looking at. I burst out with a nervous laugh to regain their attention.

"How clumsy of me to lose that thing," I said as I wove the spell. "I hate to pull you away from your work, but we'll be out of here in a flash, and you won't even remember we came. Can one of you check by the pottery? I was there for a while."

"No problem, ma'am," said a guard.

I distracted the other two guards by asking them to check the trash can, while Dex quickly and quietly pulled the security guard toward the restroom. A janitor ambled by with headphones in his ears and a single-minded focus on mopping the floors. Dex and I froze and locked eyes, thinking we were caught, but we didn't have to worry about him. The janitor didn't even look up.

This was going easier than expected. Down to the last two men, I clasped my hands behind me and pivoted to face them. "I hate to be a bother, guys, but maybe someone should go check Lost and Found for me."

"We should've tried there first," said one of the men.

"Good idea. I think you should both go," I mesmerized them.

"But we can't leave you—"

"You should both go. Now." The eerie echo of my voice reverberated through the empty museum, amplifying the effect. "Forget I'm here."

I saw them try to resist, but they were unable to as they nodded their heads and turned around to leave at the same time. Dex smiled at me from behind a column. Once we had eliminated the four guards, I dashed to her.

"Did you see that? Did you see what we did?" I exclaimed with glee.

"You were amazing, princess! You had them eating out of your hand," she giggled.

"And you! You were taking them out left and right!" I mimicked terrible kung fu moves, and she threw an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug to stop me.

"And you said you were scared." She scoffed.

We didn't have much time left, so we ran to the chariot where Legend was waiting. He motioned for us to hurry and get in, and Dex put her arm around my waist and propelled me over the rope. I had to jump into the cart.

The chariot was enormous, a two-wheeled, gold-plated vehicle embossed with the sun on the front and scenes of winged horses on each side. The same creatures, frozen in full gallop, were yoked to the chariot, mimicking the art. I scanned the area for any signs of danger and realized what Legend had been doing while I was keeping the guards occupied. He had cleared a path.

We suddenly heard footsteps slowly ascending the museum steps, and old man Pete called out, "If you boys haven't found it yet, I'm afraid that's all the time I can give you. Something's gone funky with the security alert system, and I need one of you to head to the basement and take a look." My companions and I stared at each other in panic as his fuzzy grey head rose up the stairs. Within seconds, he would see us, and we didn't need any witnesses.

"Make it go!" Dex yelled.

"What on earth is going on up there?" Pete hurried up the rest of the way up the stairs, his radio in hand. He gaped in surprise at us. As Legend snapped the golden reins, the old man's shoulders slumped. "Now, see. This is why I always do everything by the book."