Across the Veil: Open Eyes (Book 1)

Prologue

Moira crouched behind a large stack of logs at the edge of Edward's Lumber Mill. A couple yards away she could hear the murmurs of people going over some sort of plan. She had been tracking the group for almost a week now, waiting for the best opportunity to catch them and retrieve an item they'd stolen. Usually criminals were left to the local police, but these weren't your run of the mill criminals. They were a small group of Wizards who had in their possession a tome filled to the brim with spells for raising the dead and conjuring spirits. Not a great situation, but still better than dealing with a noble Elf who'd decided to throw a fit because you bowed just a fraction less than was expected.

Moira was a Faerest. While an ordinary Fae's power came from a specific element, a Faerest's power came from something far less tangible. Their powers varied from person to person, some having the ability to conjure spirits, others the ability to teleport, or powers related to the mind. Moira fell in the latter category. Whether that was a blessing or a curse depended on who you asked. Moira had her own reservations about her powers. Sure she was well equipped to take on most foes, but her powers alone made her a decidedly dangerous being to have just walking around. The plus side was that it essentially guaranteed her a place working with one of the Folk Courts in Ontario. Working in Port Edwards with the local Centaur Court was a fairly decent gig to have. Despite being under near constant watch by the Court's more wary members, she was given a fair amount of freedom and was allowed to take on some of the more... interesting cases that were brought to the Court's attention.

She leaned out from behind the logs, peeking across the lumber yard to where a group of six robed figures had gathered. They were clustered around a small fire near the eastern wall of one of the mill's buildings. The light from the fire was just enough for Moira to see some of their features. They were fairly young wizards, probably not much older than Moira herself. She let out a quiet hiss when she noticed one of them had eyes that looked like orbs of onyx resting in their sockets.

Carefully, she pulled her phone from her pocket and sent off a brief message.

The one on the far right near the door. I think that's where our Demon is hiding.

She pocketed her phone. There was no need to check for a received message or response. She knew her friend was already watching from a vantage point somewhere nearby. She slowly got to her feet, still keeping low to the ground as she circled around the group until she was flush against the building they were standing beside. She looked around, taking in her surroundings as she decided on her next move. A few feet away was a rusted dumpster, likely having been emptied earlier that day. That could be useful.

Her ears perked up slightly as she heard one of the Wizards excitedly asking someone, most likely their leader, to give them a taste of what the tome had to offer. She heard the crisp, crackly sound of a book being opened and pages being flipped.

Moira took a slow, deep breath as she raised her right hand and took hold of the dumpster with her mind. Her eyes glowed with a soft teal light as the dumpster started to lift off the ground. She slowly raised it up, trying to keep it from scraping against the wall and adjusting the dumpster so she could move it above the roof when one of the corners snagged the eavestrough. The sharp, scraping sound of metal on metal immediately alerted the Wizards.

"Fuck." Moira growled as she watched a shadow approach the corner of the building.

"Who's there?!" one of the Wizards called out.

Moira slowly emerged from her hiding spot, her fingers tense as she focused on lifting the dumpster above the building while keeping her hand down at her side. Having a pointed arm as a focus usually helped, but in this case it was more important that the Wizards and Demon not be immediately directed to the giant, rusty metal bin that was slowly making its way over them.