Page 44 of Phoenix Rise

Thank you.

Cody’s plan didn’t take us to the front. Xumi’s stronghold covered an entire city block and, very similar to our training scenario, was fully fenced by a smooth concrete wall topped with wire.

The Sabre kept us on the opposite side of the street until we were past the slapping guards, then he took us across, and down an alley flanking the property.

We stopped near the wall. “Can’t find any handy flying critters,” I said after a moment of searching.

“S’okay. Ben’s sending Valki.” Maddy looked up as the owl flew overhead to give us a bird’s-eye view of what lay beyond the wall.

A moment later, she shook her head. “Nothing here to shield us.”

Logan stood a little apart from us, and now tilted his head. “We shoould try farther aloong.”

“Is that a suggestion, or did you foresee something?” Cody asked.

“Saw us going oover, farther aloong,” he admitted.

Jacques had scored us an old set of blueprints for the building, but the compound was another matter. Valki was our best bet for surveillance, but it would help a lot if Logan’s foreseeing talent kicked in.

Maddy already had the owl hovering over us. I cast myself out to Valki and saw through the little owl’s eyes. The small front courtyard was wide open, but farther along...

Following Valki’s input, Maddy took us a ways along the wall. I saw how the barrier here was closer to the side of the main building, so we couldn’t view the front doorway and its guards.

“This is as good as it gets,” Maddy said. “But we’ll have to time it between guard patrols. I can’t shield us as we’re going over, we’ll be too spread out.”

“We’ll send you over right after Logan.” Cody glanced upward.

“Anna will distract the guards oon the rooof,” Logan said.

“I will?” I frowned at him.

When he panted a laugh at me, I realized he’d foreseen it. I closed my eyes and found the roof guards on the first probe—three of them. I needed conveniently placed critters, searched until I found more rodents, and encouraged them out of their hidey-holes. They scurried around on the roof. When I added a little more inspiration, they started knocking into debris and making general noise on the opposite side of the roof from where we stood.

The guards moved over to that side, peering into the shadows that had suddenly come alive.

“Got ’em. But we’d better be quick,” I said.

Cody nodded. “Okay, crew, just like before.” He unwound the rope and gave Logan the end.

“You’ll be exposed once I’m over the top,” Maddy reminded Cody.

He nodded, and I looked up into the night sky. Were any of Xumi’s Dragons flying nearby?

“Hold on,” Logan paced a distance away, and then cast his gaze outward and upward. A second later, he said, “Wait. There’s incooming. Three of them.”

We crouched, although our nervous movement mattered little to Maddy, who frowned as she concentrated.

The whisper of wind on wing—Xumi’s Dragon trio passed almost right over us, heading for the roof of the building beyond the wall. Valki uttered a startled squeak from where she’d perched on the wire.

I checked for any other life energies close by, but the others were well away from us. “We’re good to go,” I said.

The wire along the top was old and sagging along this side. Logan got over it without losing any fur. Maddy swarmed up the rope. She didn’t even have to use her cloak on it, just pushed it carefully aside.

I didn’t waste any time, climbing as soon as she tugged on the rope to say she was down. I dropped beside Maddy and Logan and helped brace the rope for Lucas and Cody to come over.

Logan backed a bit away from us, his eyes fogging as he used his talent. I searched for eyes around us and found another rodent—this one had built a nest on a ledge about twenty feet up.

Who’d ever guess that dodgy vermin would be so helpful,Matt commented.

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