There was a storm outside—a rare Phoenix rainstorm. The thunder was a low rumble through the Traynor building's walls and the thick glass window, but the rain ran down the glass diagonally from the wind. It almost matched the storm inside my core.

I stared at Bob from across the desk as he stood up and pushed his chair in. "Let's move somewhere more comfortable. We have a lot to discuss about your futures."

Before I could stop her, Ellen was also standing and moving toward the twin couches. I got to my feet and grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

"The only thing I can. He'll do it. He's no stranger to using money to get what he—"

I cut her off. "We can get through this together."

"Have you seen what happens when someone like him decides to crush a person?" Ellen asked. "No, we need to play this his way for now."

"No, I haven't, and no, we don't."

"Yes, you have. You just didn't realize what you were seeing. Trust me. I don't want that for you."

I took a deep breath. Ellen was scared. Not for herself, but for me, and for the rest of her friends. But even so, I didn't want to give up. We could beat Bob. We could.

"Think about Jessie," Ellen said.

Right. Jessie. She was out there, enjoying the party. Maybe she'd already found the Traynor team members, and she'd already planted the seeds of doubt in one of them. Ellen was right. We didn't need to win here. Jessie was our real end-game at this point—and besides that, I needed to keep her safe. I'd promised.

So I pushed my frustration and confusion down and let Ellen drag me to the couch. I sat down next to her, sinking into the leather like it was a cloud. For her part, Ellen crossed her legs and looked at the coffee table, where a trio of flutes filled with something bubbly sat.

She didn't take hers. Bob took his, though. He drained it in one pull. "Eleanor, thank you for seeing reason. Your contract and itinerary for joining the Traynor delving team are on the table. Please read over it."

Ellen did. She moved almost robotically, picking up the paper and poring over every line. It took her almost three minutes to get through the whole thing, and the entire time, Bob's eyes never left my face. I stared at the coffee table and at the drink sitting there. Bob was nothing. I could easily end him. Compared to someone like Queen Mother Yalerox, he had next to no power. But I couldn't just jump across the table and start killing him. Ellen could, but I couldn't. And she wouldn't.

He was untouchable. He was facing off against two delvers as an unawakened human with no real power, but between his wealth and Ellen's connection to him, he was untouchable. He knew it, too.

When Ellen finished reading her document, Bob gestured at one in front of me. "And yours, Kade. I'm looking forward to doing business with you both."

I started reading. As I did, I realized that Ellen had almost certainly finished her read-through in just a minute, and she'd been stalling. I touched her shoe with mine, and she tapped my toe back. I was right. We needed to burn time.

So, I started reading. When I was about halfway through, I leaned over to Ellen and pointed at a section. "What does Bob mean by 'rights to my likeness in perpetuity?'"

"That means that Daddy might want to use images and video of you for advertising. You'd be signing away your rights to use your pictures on any products you might make later on. But that shouldn't matter, because the previous clause says that all commercialization from the Delver—that's you, Kade—will go through the Rights Holder—that's Daddy. So you don't need to worry about that."

I kept reading, stopping periodically to ask clarifying questions. After nine minutes, Bob reached for my untouched drink. After twelve, he cleared his throat. "Are you finished?"

"Almost. I just have a question about—"

"Kade, Eleanor, I had my legal team look over this contract and itinerary. They're both rock-solid. Nothing outrageous. I'm giving both of you an excellent deal here. Especially you, Eleanor."

Ellen stared at him for a second. Then she put her paper down. It wasn't signed. I copied her as she started saying, "Daddy, I can't sign this. It doesn't include any of the usual clauses we've operated under. It's not acceptable to me, and it's definitely not acceptable to Kade."

I nodded. "I can't work with this."

Bob took the papers from the coffee table and flipped through them. His reading of both took less than a minute; when he finished, he started with Ellen. "Eleanor, our relationship has changed. You don't want me to treat you like a daughter. I can accept that. You'll be safer—and more valuable—as a business partner. So, the old clauses? They're gone. This is similar to the boilerplate I offer any small company before the corporation starts a hostile takeover. That's our next step.

"And as for you, Kade, you're not getting even that. This contract is wildly unfair in my favor. It's also your only option for keeping your sister out of trouble. I know you'll do anything for her—unlike your mother. Will you do this?"

He slid the paper across the table. "Sign it."

Jessie stared at the too-skinny woman as she casually moved Stephen out of the way with one hand. "Sorry, boy, but I need to talk to your girlfriend for a bit." Jessie braced herself for the worst-case scenario. The three delvers she could see were the three that, in combination, were the most dangerous. Patty, Felicia, and Xander were all rule-followers. The Fritch twins, though? They were amped up and ready for a fight at any moment—especially the tank. And as for Ophelia St. Vrain?

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Ophelia was only C-Rank, but she'd already earned an unofficial title like the S-Rank delvers—and not because she was powerful. Because she was abrasive, hostile, and just as happy by herself, and when she got caught in situations that set her on edge, the first two traits got even more pronounced. She'd been in and out of the GC's disciplinary system through the last year, before the Traynor Corporation picked her up.

Her skills lent themselves to her title, too. She was a spatial mage with a focus on controlling the area around her. In any portal she entered, Ophelia St Vrain was the most well-protected delver on the team. Nothing could get to her—weapons, spells, or enemies—until she ran out of Mana. Not even her allies. There was a rumor going around that she'd survived a clear-gone-wrong by abandoning her team and using her skills and spells to clear a path for herself. That was just a rumor, though; there was nothing in the records to corroborate that.

She was the worst-case scenario, but the Fritch twins wouldn't be a stabilizing force for her. Jessie didn't have many options, so she picked the least bad one. "Alright. Where are we going?"

Ophelia missed a beat. It wasn't much, but it was enough. "How about there?" The mage pointed, and Jessie nodded.

She cranked her wheels, then grimaced. "Can you, uh…"

"Yes. Just be quiet for thirty seconds." Ophelia slid her hand off Jessie's shoulder and onto the chair's handlebars, then started pushing.

They headed toward an exit, out of the concrete-floored reception hall and into a carpet-lined, wood-paneled hallway. "What are you—"

"Nope. Quiet," Ophelia snapped. She kept pushing, and Jessie reached back for the bag hanging off the handles—and the tablet inside. It had a panic button; one push, and a team of GC delvers would show up here to find their missing representative. If she was in over her head, it might help.

"You won't need that, Gerald. I want to talk."

Ophelia opened a door and pushed the chair through. Jessie looked around; they'd arrived in an office. Not a fancy one, either. The room lacked windows or any decorations. Whoever worked here hadn't bothered with photos, art, or motivational posters. All Jessie could see was a stool-style swivel chair, a computer, and an empty desk—all covered in dust.

Ophelia sat on the swivel chair, not bothering to sweep the dust away. Then she stared at Jessie, dark eyes flashing with anger, disgust, and something else. It took Jessie a moment to recognize it. Embarrassment. After a moment, Ophelia spoke. Her face was embarrassed, but her voice was monotone.

"You're going to help me."

The lights flickered. Then they went out, and the room went black.

"Kade!" Bob yelled, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." I hadn't moved from the couch. Tallas's Dueling Blade wasn't in my hand. And Ellen hadn't moved a muscle, either.

Ellen must have done it somehow, but I hadn't seen or felt her move. My gut twisted suddenly as a wave of…fear? Yes, fear. A wave of fear rippled across the room, with Ellen speaking over it. "Daddy, we need time. These contracts say we're both going to be living here, at your headquarters. That won't work for Kade. He's got an apartment and a sister—and one of our friends is—"

"Living with him. I know." The lights flicked on as the Traynor Building's emergency power came back on, and Bob's face sagged for a moment in relief. I caught one last flash of fear, though; he must have thought this was an attack. He was right, but not about the source. Ellen must not have told him about her aura's effects.

"I need a week to get things in order for her and get out of my apartment contract," I said. "I'll sign once I've cleared my plate."

Bob took a breath and composed himself. Then he nodded. "And you, Eleanor?"

"The same thing. I'm not ready yet. But I…you win, Daddy," she said.

"Very well," Bob said. He stood up and stuck out his hand. "You have until the end of the week. Then the screws start tightening—on both of you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have what's left of a party to host."

I shook his hand, and so did Ellen. She looked uncomfortable, and I put a hand around her shoulder as we left the room. Bob didn't follow us, but Ellen didn't say anything until we were back in the main room. "You really didn't do that, Kade?"

"No, I thought you did," I shot back. "You definitely did part of it. You just attacked your father."

"I did not. You can't prove anythi—"

"Thanks." I kissed her on the forehead. "You probably got us out of that situation yourself. But the darkness? That was just a coincidence?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ellen said, blushing a little. "Focus, Kade. The mission is still on. We need to find your sister and Stephen."

"Right."

The party was still going; the temporary power outage hadn't had much of an effect. We stepped past two men who were obviously delvers; I thought about talking to them, but Ellen poked me in the rib and pointed at a nearby door, where a teenage boy stood, awkwardly shifting his weight. When he saw us, he waved.

"Stephen, what's going on?" I asked.

"I don't…Some woman just…she pushed me off the chair and took…they went…" Stephen said.

"Breathe," Ellen said. Her hand slipped onto my shoulder, and I felt how tense I was. "Describe the woman for me."

"Skinny like a sapling. Black dress. Hair tight to her head. Black rings around her eyes—could have been makeup, but I don't think so. I think she was tired or overwhelmed. She was scary, though. And strong. She just muscled me away. Weird thing, though…Jessie just went with her."

"Sounds like Jessie," I said, trying to force the tension out of my voice.

"Ophelia, probably," Ellen said quietly. "Where'd they go?"

"Down this hall," Stephen said.

Ellen nodded quickly. I cleared my throat. "There's a chance this goes south. Stephen, I need you to leave. Head for the nearest bus stop and then call…uh…" I hesitated.

Ellen didn't. "Jeff Carlton. Here's his number. Have him get in touch with Sophia, Yasmin, and Raul. They need to meet us outside the western gate. Then get yourself away from here."

"But I—"

"Stephen, these are C-Rank delvers. Your best move is to leave. I will take care of Jessie. I promise," I said.

I stared at him, and he stared at me. Then Ellen cleared her throat. "The best thing you can do to help is listen and go."

That seemed to get through to him. He started moving, then looked back. I turned and headed through the doors, after my sister—and after Ophelia.

Ellen had gotten the names of everyone on the Traynor team from Bob, and of all the people we'd hoped to encounter, Ophelia was the only one we couldn't predict. Everyone else had a vested interest in making Bob happy—or, in the Fritch tank's case, in not rocking the boat too much—but the Lonely Mage was in a different boat altogether. If Ellen joined the team, she was definitely out. And Ophelia was unpredictable in a lot of other ways.

As soon as I was through the door, I summoned Tallas's Dueling Blade and got ready. Ellen pulled her hair up and slapped a hair tie over it, and the Stormsteel armor and cloak covered my suit and tie. I took the lead; if we found her, I'd have only seconds to be useful, while Ellen could still pressure the C-Ranker—and possibly blast through her exclusion zones with pure force.

There were dozens of offices in the hallway, and we only had so long to find Jessie and Ophelia, so I didn't waste time. I kicked in the first door, then the second. I was on my way to the third when Ellen whirled. Magic filled the air as she fired an Orb of Darkness toward a black-clad woman.

The Orb never made it. Instead, a wall of force hummed to life and shoved it away from the mage, sending it crashing into the hallway wall. I readied a Lightning Chain, and Ellen gathered up power for a Crushing Darkness, but before either of us could finish, Jessie wheeled herself into the hall next to Ophelia.

"Stop," she said. "She's on our side."

"I wouldn't say that," Ophelia added in a monotone. Then she shrugged. "But for right now, our goals are similar."

I stared at Ophelia, sword hanging from my hand.

Jessie wheeled over to me. "It's fine, Kade. I've got this whole thing under control."

The door behind us opened, and the Fritch twins poked their heads in. "Everything okay in here, Ophelia? We heard your spell go off."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.