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eyes, the human was perhaps the least striking mage Ryan had worked with. He looked like a mundane, which, Ryan suspected, worked to Talon’s advantage.
    “Talon,” Ryan said. “How much has Axler told you of our mission?”
    Talon regarded Ryan with cautious scrutiny. His skin was very white, in sharp contrast to the cobalt blue Draco Foundation uniform he wore over his flexible body armor, and his shoulder-length hair was pulled into a ponytail. “Some,” he said. “But not enough. I expected to be fully briefed enroute.”
    Ryan shifted in his own body armor and uniform, flexing his neck to work out some kinks. “As soon as Dhin gets us up to cruising altitude,” he said, “we’ll get Jane-in-the-box online, and discuss the run.”
    Next to Talon, sat a black dwarf named Grind. The dwarf had two cyberarms made of a matte gray-black composite—light and extremely strong. Ryan knew Grind also had a third articulated arm, hidden under the heavy uniform coat, which extended from the dwarf’s chest.
    Grind watched the exchange between Ryan and Talon with mild interest, nodding at Ryan’s last statement. Grind would speak up later during the discussion of tactics or security. He was a experienced mercenary and could handle nearly any weapon that wasn’t too big for his stature.
    Axler sat on Ryan’s right. She was his lieutenant, second-in-command for Assets and the finest field commander for this kind of small team, special-forces type combat that he’d had the pleasure of working with.
    On the surface, Axler looked like blonde sweetmeat with frag-me doe brown eyes—a real mantrap. Underneath, though, she was a deadly blend of cyber and flesh; none of her cyberware showed, except perhaps in her ultra-chill demeanor. Axler could be frostier than anyone Ryan had met.
    His Assets team was all present—Grind, Axler, Dhin in the cockpit, and Jane in the Matrix. Ryan hoped the new mage lasted longer than the previous two. Assets didn’t have a good track record keeping spellworms alive.
    “Talon,” Ryan said. “You scanned my aura when we met back at the airport?”
    The mage nodded.
    “What did you see?”
    “A mundane human,” Talon said. “I know that you’re a physical adept, so I assume you’re masking your aura to make yourself look mundane.”
    Ryan nodded. “What else?”
    “You’re carrying some sort of power focus that you can’t mask completely.”
    “The Dragon Heart,” Ryan said.
    “I’ve never known any physads who could use a power focus.” Talon said.
    “This item is unique.”
    Talon nodded. “Still, it may make you and the team vulnerable to astral attacks.”
    “Perhaps, but I doubt it. The Heart has its own protection.” Ryan paused, giving Talon a moment to ponder. “As you might have surmised, our mission doesn’t involve the suit of armor we loaded into the cargo hold. That is only peripheral to our goal.”
    “What then?”
    “Our true mission involves the Dragon Heart,” Ryan said. “I want to enlist the help of the elf mage—Harlequin. He knows the ritual that will take me and the Heart across to the metaplanes.”
    Talon looked dubious. “I didn’t think it was possible for a non-initiate mage to cross into the metaplanes.”
    “Dunkelzahn believed it was.”
    “Yes,” Talon said. “And maybe he could have done it, but unless you plan on asking Lofwyr—”
    “I don’t think Lofwyr would agree to help us,” Ryan said.
    “I was kidding.”
    Ryan smiled. “So was I.” he said. “But the fact remains that Dunkelzahn told me that Harlequin could perform the necessary magic. If he is willing to help, it may be as simple as explaining the situation to him. If not, we might have to pay or convince him somehow. In either case, it will be up to me.
    “The problem will arise if he decides not to help, and that he wants the Dragon Heart for himself. He’s rumored to be extremely powerful. I’m not sure I can keep the Dragon Heart from him.”
    “And you