Page 143 of Twist of Fate

The attack at the drop had not been random. Neither was the assault on Hale’s building. Someone had begun with a quiet attempt to stop the sale, then escalated to a full assault on Hale’s operation when that failed. They had known where to find Hale, when the buyer would arrive, and which pieces of the system had to be destroyed.

The leader directed the warriors on the roof, but he was still taking orders. Whoever stood above him remained unseen.

Connal studied the masked leader. “They are protecting someone.”

“That’s my guess,” Luke said. “The person who sent them believes this receiver could lead someone straight to them.”

“And that person commands magic connected to our Queen,” Keir said.

“Or possesses something that does,” Zer added.

Connal looked at the burning sigil. It offered no answer, but Luke was right. The buyer was the enemy standing in front of them. The greater threat remained hidden, directing the attack from somewhere beyond their reach.

Asterius rose slightly behind the ventilation housing across the roof. He pointed toward the receiver, then slashed one hand across his throat.

The warning came too late. The hum of the rooftop equipment deepened.

Luke turned toward the sound.

Lights awakened across the receiver one after another, racing along the raised platform. The angled panels shifted with a mechanical whine, turning away from the masked warriors and the buyer.

One faced Connal and his brothers. Another rotated toward Tyson and Asterius.

Connal’s sigil erupted with white-hot pain.

Keir and Zer doubled over behind him. Across the rooftop, Asterius grabbed his wrist. The receiver’s lights changed from white to red.

Luke caught Connal’s arm, staring at the burning mark beneath his skin.

“It found you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Every head on the roof turned toward the stairwell.

The buyer saw Luke first. Recognition sharpened his expression before his gaze shifted to Connal and the glowing sigil around his wrist.

“You,” he said.

Luke tightened his hold on Connal’s arm. “Good to see you too.”

Luke checked the other side of the roof. The dark stone at the masked leader’s throat pulsed again. He immediately signaled to his warriors, sending two toward the receiver while the others turned their weapons toward the stairwell.

The buyer reacted just as quickly. “Keep them away from the receiver,” he ordered.

One of his guards raised a hand. Magic slammed into the roof-access door hard enough to tear it from Connal’s grip. It struck the concrete wall inside the stairwell, filling the landing with the shriek of twisting metal.

Connal pulled Luke through the opening before the next attack could trap them inside. Keir and Zer followed, spreading apart as soon as they reached the roof. Avaneel darted back into Zer’s hair and disappeared beneath the dark strands.

The second strike hit the concrete where Luke had been standing.

He and Connal ducked behind a ventilation housing. Magic passed over them in a wave of pressure that rattled the metal panels and drove fresh pain through Luke’s ribs.

Across the roof, Asterius rose from cover and attacked the buyer’s nearest guard from behind. Tyson stayed low behind the ventilation housing while the buyer’s attention remained fixed on the stairwell.

The masked warriors did not welcome the help. One intercepted Asterius before he could reach the receiver, forcing him away from the barrier.

Three sides. Zero allies.