stay safe (i promise)

“Ready? And…lights out.”

“It’s done?” I peer over Lyr’s shoulder. I can’t comprehend any of the blinking numbers and symbols flitting across the glowing screen, but one look at his devilish grin would tell anyone that he had pulled it off. Besides, I trust him - even without magic, he has an uncanny way with technology; with it, there's no chance of him slipping up.

"Yeah, city power is going down block by block. Just need to manually turn off our breaker so it doesn’t raise any suspicions, and we’re good to go.” He takes the stairs down to the kitchen two at a time, calling, “Linnia! Breaker off!”

Myrima is sitting on the counter waggling a thin-bladed knife in her grip. Crest and Ghiselle, our resident twins, are milling about in the warmly lit room, not from nervousness but from pent-up excitement that I had let build up for a dangerously long time. This mission would hopefully work off that fizzling edge. Linnia stands poised over the breaker switch like a conductor preparing to signal the orchestra. “Everyone ready?”

The ones leaving run a perfunctory check, tightening gear straps and patting weapons. It’s more of a show for confidence than anything – we’ve run over fifty missions without any inane mistakes like forgetting a piece of equipment, and there’s no chance of starting now. Linnia hardly waits for us to finish before she clicks off the switch and grins.

“Good. Head out.” I pause by the doorway. Ghiselle and Crest are already spilling out into the night, Rima and Linnia hurrying up to the roof to keep watch. My gaze snags Lyr’s. His gold eyes glitter in the dark as he raises his eyebrows at me.

“Stay safe,” he says softly.

I nod curtly. “I keep my promises.”

Lyr doesn’t answer, just turns and heads up the stairs. I know he hates seeing me like this – putting on my cold, unaffected mask the same way we buckle on our guns and knives. But there’s no other way. Everyone truly alive in this city is either a monster at heart or a monster on the surface.

I take in his fluid limbs, broad back, and dyed-silver curls before I walk out, pulling the door shut behind me. My breath mists in the night air as I ignite a licking ember in my palm and run after the twins.

Things are going downhill.

The mission isn’t a routine one – a major stronghold raid for a formidably powerful dense magic sphere that’s nothing like our weekly warehouse supply runs to scrounge up more equipment and food. Dangerous, yes, but we had handled more difficult things and made it out with little to no problem – hence my decision to leave three of our team at home. Except it doesn’t take me long to realize that this time we are woefully unprepared, caught completely off guard like a mouse in a trap.

The moment the blinding white flare of Ghiselle’s magic cleaves the darkness of the stronghold, I know something is wrong. Nine out of ten missions don’t require any of us to resort to magic, and even then, it’s either Lyr, manipulating an unforeseen security system or hard-to-crack safe to his will, or Linnia, to pinpoint an enemy through thought-tracking. Once in a while Crest will step in to cover us with his shadows while Rima weaves illusions to keep our enemies distracted; if necessary, I would send the building up in flames for a quick cleanup. But never Ghiselle, our Light-wielder, our White Sorcerer, the one with the most potent magic out of all of us. Possibly out of anyone in this hellhole of a city. For her to have dipped into her magic reserve…

Another flash of white is my only warning before there’s a sucking noise, an eerily silent explosion, and I feel my magic gutter out of my body.

Someone had gotten to the sphere before we had. And detonated it, effectively draining the entire city’s magic.

A list of expletives run through my mind as I take a stumbling step back, shaking my head in an attempt to clear my spotty vision. I hadn’t expected any other people to be here – had counted on the mission being too dangerous for any other teams to attempt. But here they are, and we are so screwed.

I risk a long, low whistle into the darkness, but there’s no answer. Only the clacking of boots against the concrete as a crowd of black-clothed figures swarm from the shadows.

I do a quick headcount. Over thirty of them, and one of me. Each of them armed to the teeth, likely carrying their weight in guns and blades. Without magic, not even my whole team together could make it from here uncaptured.

I won’t risk being taken, used for information that would put the others at home in danger. I’d rather die. But they’re already pulling the pistols from my belt, the knives sheathed across my body –

There’s a booming gunshot, then a crash. Light from the relit city floods the stronghold as the door collapses, and I fight back a sob as I see the motionless forms of Crest and Ghiselle first – too close to the detonated sphere to have survived. Then the light sharpens the outlines of a tall, broad-shouldered figure. Pale amber eyes flash – no longer metallic gold without the influence of magic.

He lifts his gun and fires off three more shots. One bullet goes through the skull of the person in front of me, another through the one holding me on my right.

The third goes clean through my heart.

The last thing I see is the barrel of a gun pressed into silver curls and a devilish grin.

“You’ll stay safe?”

“I will. Every time. I promise. But I’m relying on you to bail me out if I break my word.”

“Absolutely. I’ve got my trusty bullets with me, after all. I know where to shoot.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah. I promise.”