“That supposed to scare us?” The mercenary poked his gun around the corner. “You think we didn’t come equipped to handle a Sorc? We’re not idiots. That’s why we charge the big bucks.”
“The Society will pay you to give up your boss,” Lyssa replied. “Trust me. The Elders care far more about finding and punishing a rogue Sorcerer than punishing Shadow mercenaries. It’s like you said; it’s just business. Why not take the easy payday instead of the one requiring death and pain?”
“You have no idea who hired us, and you never will. It could be a rogue, or it could be a movie star who doesn’t like your kind. It doesn’t matter.” The mercenary let out a low growl. “We take professional pride in what we do. Walking away from a contract? That’s not going to happen, Hecate. I’m not ready to retire, and the minute we burn a client, we’re done in this business.”
Lyssa holstered a pistol, then slipped an explosive magazine out of her pocket and swapped, moving slowly so as not to make any noise. After putting the other magazine away, she grabbed her second pistol.
“I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree,” she said.
“Too bad,” the mercenary called. “This didn’t have to be a big deal. There’s such a thing as dying with dignity. Haven’t you heard?”
Lyssa smiled and concentrated, whispering a chant underneath her breath. She kept low, pointing her guns at the closest mercenary while weaving dark strands in her mind. The enemy needed something to shoot at. She might as well give them that.
Shadows flowed from the ground in the center of the overgrown dirt road like smoky snakes wriggling through the air. They formed a roughly humanoid outline that would stand out well to someone with night-vision goggles.
“I’m glad to see you can be reasonable,” the mercenary said. “From one pro to another, I salute you. Now die quietly.”
The mercenaries’ rifle volley lit up the night. The battle had begun.
Chapter Nine
The bullet swarm passed through the shadow puppet. Grinning, Lyssa released the spell and backed away from her position until she arrived at a narrow gap between two buildings.
Explosions ripped up the ground where the puppet had stood. The mercenaries using their grenade launchers so early surprised Lyssa. Touchy men. They might not be as professional as she had thought.
“What’s that?” one of the men called. “Up there!”
“I think it’s Flame Deva,” another said.
Aisha hovered in the sky near their base, wrapped in her hazy heat shield. Jets of flame sprayed from her feet, keeping her aloft.
The men shouted in surprise as a bright flare lit the sky. Ducking, they pulled back, seeking better cover.
Lyssa sighed. It was a good plan, but she’d learned the hard way early in her career that military-grade night-vision goggles only let so much light through. Even tossing a flashbang right in front of them wouldn’t do much.
“Good try, Aisha,” Lyssa whispered. She’d planned to suggest the tactic to the woman when she got closer. They’d hated each other for years, but the last couple of missions, it had felt like they’d been working as partners since the beginning of their careers.
They might not be blind, but the enemy was now focused on the sky. Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, Lyssa pointed the pistol loaded with explosive rounds around the corner, aiming across the road at a squad clustered behind a wall. She couldn’t risk waiting until they opened fire on Aisha. The point was to take the men down, not for her to hide until somebody else killed them all.
She pulled the trigger just as a man risked lifting his rifle to shoot at Aisha. The attack and loud report disrupted Lyssa’s wraith form, but the mercenary's first reply was blind-firing into the air rather than at her.
Half a squad of mercenaries spun toward Lyssa. Her explosive round blasted the corner of the decrepit building apart, knocking men to the ground, with flaming wood showering down behind and around them.
Aisha tossed her first fireball and struck one of the exposed men. The exploding blast tunneled through his vest and knocked him back, leaving him groaning in pain. He crawled toward cover, saved from her follow-up attack by the large distance.
Something small flew through the air, hurled by a mercenary. It ignited into a red flare. The mercenaries threw several more until the nearby area was bathed in a light-red glow. They might have been surprised by Aisha, but they had been taking notes. Lyssa’s respect for them notched up, along with her annoyance. They were trying to make it harder for a shadow to hide.
Mercenary return fire kept Lyssa on the defensive. She sprinted backward, alternating target sides as she laid down her explosive hail. Half a magazine later, she’d reduced the enemy cover to smoking, charred wood, but she’d only downed a handful of men.
With the battle fully joined, she accepted they weren’t boys with fancy toys. It was annoying to deal with pros. Their flares made it harder to move around undetected. Even her shadow form would stand out. The men also minimized their profiles and didn’t blindly run out shooting at her to prove their bravery like half the idiots she ran into. Monsters and criminal thugs were easier.
They’d also yet to deploy any obvious shards. That worried her. They might be waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Blowing the hell out of them was the most efficient solution, but Lyssa needed to take someone alive for interrogation. She wanted their commander, but she had no idea how to identify him in the masked mass of men wearing and wielding the same gear.
Criminals always made that part easier, too. Arrogant mob bosses and terrorist leaders couldn’t resist smarting off to Hecate.
Follow-up gunfire supplemented by grenade shots forced Lyssa farther back.
