Read Online Dimension Fracture by Corinn Heathers - Free Book Online Page B

but with the chance of potentially warning the target that they were being tracked.
    I felt the strange pressure of magic being worked as she pushed her awareness out and into the world, seeking the mysterious mage's unique astral signature rather than trying to discern her passage through the distortions in ambient loose mana.
    A long, quiet moment passed before Misaki's eyes flew open, alarm written all over her face. She turned to me, her eyes wide. “Our quarry is at the crime scene. She isn't moving or casting spells.”
    “So she is waiting for us,” I muttered as I turned the wheel and rounded a corner, heading down the empty street. We were in the middle of a warehouse district, a rather decrepit and nearly abandoned section of town. Other than the fact that one of the AEGIS operatives had been murdered here, it was unremarkable.
    “Karin, you're not planning to fight her, are you?”
    I shook my head. “Not if I can avoid it, no.”
    “But you're going to go confront her anyway?”
    “Yes.”
    Misaki let out a long, frustrated sigh. “I can't convince you to let Star's people handle this one?”
    “It wouldn't do any good and you know it. If we don't show, she'll probably just fade back into the shadows. You're the only one who can track her, so we're the only ones who can deal with this.”
    “I thought you'd say that.” My fiancee's tone was considerably less hostile than I'd expected. “I'm going to send an emergency coded message to Star requesting backup at the crime scene. If fighting starts, we shouldn't be fighting alone for very long.”
    I didn't respond to that as I pulled the car into a wide-open lot. It looked like it had once been a loading and unloading zone for one of the warehouses, but the warehouse in question had been demolished years ago. A fenced-off area of dirt and piles of broken concrete shot through with twisted lengths of rebar dominated the lot's widest side. The asphalt was cracked and broken and riddled with potholes.
    I stopped the car, not bothering to find an actual parking spot. Misaki unbuckled her seat belt and reached beneath the passenger seat, drawing out a black bundle that contained my automatic pistol.
    “Thanks.” I ejected the magazine, checked the chamber, made sure the safeties were all engaged. I shoved the mag back into the weapon and pulled the slide back, cycling the action and chambering a round. I had twelve MQ rounds in the weapon and two more fully-loaded mags ready to go.
    I stepped out of the car, my weapon held at the ready. My left leg felt wobbly, but I'd spent an hour before we left working it through several stretches and exercises, hoping the extra care would reduce my reliance on the cane. So far it seemed to be working, but I definitely didn't want to get into any kind of direct physical confrontation.
    Misaki stood beside me on the right, her ears perked up and swiveling around to try and catch even the faintest sound. I didn't bother with the Relic at this point—against non-specter enemies, the sword was far more of a hindrance than a help considering my mediocre skill. Against a magic-user it would be of little use as the opponent would do their best to keep us both at range. The MQ rounds in my pistol would be a very different story.
    The empty lot was eerily quiet. I was sure our quarry was fucking with us at this point; Misaki's eyes were narrowed and I knew without asking that she could feel the mage's presence here as clearly as if she were standing right in front of us.
    “There's no reason to keep hiding,” I called out. “We know you're here.”
    My vision became fuzzy as a spot about twenty meters away began to waver and distort. I recognized the invisibility charm that Misaki often used to hide her primal features and wasn't at all surprised to see the warped space reform itself into a dark figure—the same shadow-cloaked figure I saw in the dream.
    I kept my gun hand limber and ready to snap up and fire at a moment's