Reader Believes

Chapter 34

            Her footsteps against the poured concrete floor echoed through the cavernous space, empty, except for the harsh fluorescent lights overhead and the dust that had settled over large portions of the ground. Rika turned away from the far end of the warehouse to smile at Ahisu, Damek, and Elthia. “So,” she said. “What do you guys think?”

            “It…It’s certainly large enough,” the healer replied, gazing around at the distant metal walls and ceiling.

            “I thought it’d be best to have too much space than not enough. And who knows? We might end up needing every inch we’ve got.”

            “It’s not bad,” Damek said, rubbing his chin. “The room will be good for doing full drills with everyone at once, when it comes to that. I’d have liked it if it were a bit more defensible, but then again, there seem to be few buildings with their own outer walls in this world of yours, stranger girl. And we can always do something about internal defenses.”

            Rika nodded. “This place will be out secret too, only the recruits we trust will be allowed here, so it should be hard to track. I made sure to use a different name and pay the rent for this place in cash, just to make sure there are no records that can be followed back to us. I can always ask Myra for some help too, about covering our tracks. She’s way better at computers than I am.”

            Ahisu’s black gaze found Rika’s and he inclined his head in her direction. “Solid,” was all he said.

            Her cheeks still went pink as she grinned. “I haven’t even shown you the other room yet,” Rika said, turning towards the stairs that lay against the wall behind them. “It’s a lot smaller and has a good lock on it, so I thought that should be like our headquarters. And we’ll have a spot for when we need to have private meetings and stuff.”

            Rika led the way up the metal steps, taking them two at a time, ignoring the clatter she made. Throwing open the almost solid metal door, she stepped to one side to let the others in. Her smile dimmed only slightly when she realized only Damek and Elthia had followed her up.

            She gestured to the dusty room, one corner filled with yellowed newspapers in a heap, another with rusting metal shapes scattered around it. Two tiny glass windows, brown with dirt, gazed out onto the flat grey expanse below. “It needs to be cleaned out,” she said. “And we’ll need some furniture up here, but it’ll be nice once we’ve got it fixed up. I figure I can find some pretty sweet stuff off the internet, either from the free or the furniture sections of the online classifieds.”

            “I think it’ll take us a fair while to clean,” Elthia said, biting her lower lip.

            “Nope,” Rika said, grinning again as she gestured with hands to both corners. “You forget, I can use my magic properly now.”

            While they watched, she let her magic fizz down her arms, jerking her hands upwards. The metals and paper rose into the air, wavering slightly as they rose. Seeing some black shapes go skittering away from where the papers had been, Rika wrinkled her nose. “Okay, maybe it’ll take a bit longer than I thought, but maybe Connor can get rid of them. That or we can pick up some bug spray.”

            Elthia shuddered, taking a step towards Damek. “I’m happy to help you with any dust or dirt, as long as you keep the insects away from me.”

            Damek chuckled. “I’m sure the rest of us can take care of them. I’m more concerned with how we’re going to get at the windows,” he said, nodding at them. “All the dirt seems to be on the outside.”

            “I can probably do it if I get some sponges and stuff,” Rika said, walking towards the door with her floating burdens, causing Elthia to edge away from the papers. “It shouldn’t be any harder than lifting what I am now. Though, if I have to keep holding it, I am going to get tired, so I think I’ll dump it downstairs. We can throw it out later, when we have garbage bags and stuff.”

            Backing out of the room until she hit the stair’s railing, Rika turned around. Ahisu was easy to find, a black shape amidst the grey of the building. She frowned slightly as she realized he was drawing something on the ground with the end of his staff. Instead of dropping her load over the side, as she’d intended, Rika padded down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as she could to avoid disturbing him.

            When her feet were back on solid ground, she carefully lowered the papers and metal to the floor, only the tiniest clang of metal and shush of paper betraying her. Finished, she glanced up at the open door overhead, then at Ahisu’s back. Rika sidled over to him, keeping a sharp eye on his movements to make sure she wasn’t bothering him. She stopped a few feet away and watched.

            The flow of Ahisu’s staff against the floor was like a liquid dance, spreading out in an ever more elaborate shape as its tip never left the ground. Everywhere it went, a trail of red was left, as the sigil he drew grew bigger and bigger. Finally, he connected one last line to itself, causing the whole symbol to blaze red before disappearing.

            Rika waited a few seconds, her eyes still on Ahisu as he shifted his staff back to its usual position in the crook of his arm, before she moved closer. “What were you doing?” she asked.

            He turned to meet her gaze. “Protection,” he said finally.

            “For the building?”

            He nodded and Rika smiled. “Thanks! I was going to ask you about that, since I don’t really know any protection spells. And I don’t think Hugh can do that kind of thing either. Is there anything I can do to help?”

            “Yes,” he said, swivelling back to face the far wall again. “Stay quiet.”