Page 90 of Burn of Obsidian
Red. White. Red. White.
“This wasn’t part of the plan,” Ruhne whispered, taking to the air. He raised himself toward the ceiling, his wings silent and almost invisible but for the slight sheen.
Thea felt her wild magic prickle her skin. “I don’t think we’re alone.”
“We need to keep moving.” Roach stepped over the smears, her footsteps hurried as she pushed through the set of double doors where the red light seemed to leak from. They swung wildly, and Thea caught them before they could make any noise.
“Ro?” she whisper shouted, Roach having disappeared into the warehouse style chamber. Heavy industrial shelves lined the room, running parallel from one side to the other. Each held a row of labelled cardboard boxes stacked four high. “Roach, where are – ?”
“Over here.” Head popping up from behind one of the shelves, she waved. “We need to pick this up. The alarm has been activated.”
A desk stood in the centre, right below the red flashing light. Paperwork had been scattered, much of it drifting onto the floor in various piles. Blood spotted the wood, little droplets that were distanced apart. The scent of copper stuck to the back of Thea’s throat, creating a fur over her tongue. It was so strong, yet she couldn’t see the source.
“Fucking cockwaffle.” Ruhne whizzed towards the closest box, his small hand touching the cardboard. “It’s… soggy.” He pulled back slightly, glancing at the others. “They’re all soggy. Oozing something – ”
“Don’t touch anything,” Roach hissed, taking a seat behind the desk. Pulling out a cable, she plugged it in into the computer, only for her fingers to fly over the keys. Within seconds, the obnoxious red light above stopped, momentarily drowning them in complete darkness until the emergency lighting finally whined to life. The strips along the floor barely illuminated the chamber, so Roach pulled out a few glow sticks from her bag.
“Everything’s been shut down.” Pulling the mask from her face, Roach pushed it into her back pocket. “Over here.”
Thea pulled hers off, too, relieved to feel air against her skin.
“The door’s made of a thick metal,” Roach said, pressing her gloved hand flat against the surface. “Almost impossible to break down with sheer force that wouldn’t compromise the contents. Which is why you’re up, Swiper.”
Thea touched the keyholes, one around waist height, and the other around shoulder. “It’s a bi-lock system that requires two keys to turn at the same time,” she said, mostly to herself.
“You think you can do it?” Roach asked with a raised brow.
Thea had worked on more complicated locks before. Taking out a pick and a tension tool, she began to work on the top lock. Just like with sleight-of-hand tricks, it was all in the wrists. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on every pin, feeling each one click into its designated place. “Ruhne, can you come hold these, please?”
Ruhne swept down, taking the strain, so Thea could move onto the bottom lock.
Within seconds, she had the second one ready. “Ruhne, on my count, I want you to turn. Ready?”
On her command, they both turned the tools at once, the door creaking as the internal mechanisms clicked into place.
“Impressive,” Roach said, pushing past to open the door further. “You really do have the fastest hands.”
Thea stepped over the threshold behind, finding the small room lined with drawers and filing cabinets. Everything was characterised, so it didn’t take Roach long to find the correct one.
“Got it,” she said, pulling it out. The document was pressed between two sheets of card, the page the colour of bone. Her fingers brushed the surface gently, watching how the words on the page vibrated before she stuck it in the back of her jeans. “I’m sorry about this.”
Thea stilled. “Sorry?”
Without warning, a sharp pain seared down Thea’s side that forced her to stumble back, knocking hard against one of the cabinets. The entire thing shook, quaking up the wall to a higher shelf. Debris fell, and Thea ducked her head while her hand automatically touched her waist, finding something rigid sticking out.
“Thea!” Ruhne shrieked, a curtain of glitter falling over Roach.
Roach wafted her hands, fanning the glitter away. “I wasn’t given a choice,” she said, closing their distance until they were pressed together. “If it’s between me and you, I’m always going to pick me.”
Thea sucked in a breath when Roach yanked out the blade, heat spreading from the wound.
“It’s nothing personal.” Roach checked her watch, the skin on her arm glowing with angry blotches.
Thea plugged her side with her hand. “Yeah, well it feels pretty personal to me,” she shouted, no longer caring who overheard as blood pulsed between her fingers.
Roach lifted the knife once more, the sharp edge glistening. “Please, don’t make this harder than… ugh!”
Ruhne’s sword stuck out from her eye, his movements a blur as he rose to the ceiling and outside her reach.