School of the Crown Assassins

17

"Sides will be monitored," I said.

"We the least obvious but most covered point of entry," Axe summed.

"The guest house," I suggested. "There are a few passages marked running from the guest house to the tennis courts, and then the tennis courts to the underground levels of the hill and the middle of the hedges near the house. We can use the gardens to get near the guest house and the house itself."

Xavier nodded. "That'll work."

"Great." Arielle tested her flicked two pocket knives in and out of her sleeves before nodding. "Let's go."

Jumping over the second wall, we made our way through the hedges and into the lush gardens, sliding between cameras and hiding deep in the shadows. Reaching the guest house, we ducked beneath a window. Another window on the second floor was propped open, but we would be too visible if we made the climb. The windows near us had no visible locks and were too tightly shut for us to pry open. I looked around, trying to find another solution when Damien pulled out to tiny squares with wings and soft corners.

Axe's eyes widened. "You got them to work?"

"Sort of," Damien replied. "The power generator is still exploding after a few minutes, but it's lasting longer than before."

"By how much?"

"Only a minute," Damien admitted, dropping his head.

Axe sighed. "So only ten minutes of consistent use and fifteen total of intermittent use."

Damien nodded, silently fiddling with the mini machine. I took the opportunity to ask, "What exactly are those?"

"Magnetic Lazers," Damien responded. "I think they can help us get through the windows."

He opened a flap on the cuffs of the fighting gear he was wearing underneath the Streeter clothes to reveal a small screen. After tapping it a few times, one of the small squares sprouted something like a camera in the front and the wings whirled, lifting the laser off the ground. Damien guided it through the open window high above using the controls on his sleeve.

"Can I see the map?" Damien requested and Arielle pulled out the folded sketches.

Referring to the map, Damien guided the laser through the house until he finally picked up the laser device and held it against the seem of the window. I looked up in time to see the first laser fly to the window on the other side and stick to it, as if the two lasers were connected by magnets. Damien went back to controlling the devices remotely, and after a few taps, a sharp blue light emanated between the two devices, cutting into the window seal. After moving it back and forth along the seal, he tested the window and managed to push it open.

We shuffled through the window and Damien quickly pocketed his lasers, shutting the window behind him. Making our way through the guest house, guided by the maps, it took no time to find the entrance to the secret passages hidden behind a painting. We climbed through the small opening and jumped down into a large and spacious cement passageway with lights lining the path. Silently, we began our journey, the tap of our boots reverberating through the halls. The echo was like a bomb in the silent passage.

After a few minutes, we reached a fork in the passage. One passageway bent down, leading to the underground levels of the Chartwell Mansion and the other veered up towards the hedges in the mansion's backyard.

A low sound started to thrum under our feet, waves of raw voices filled with rage and excitement, like those of a game stadium. These were the furious ghosts the florist had spoken of. What were they doing?

"We should split up again," Xavier announced.

"Fantastic," Damien muttered under his breath.

"Two go up to the house to search for any sort of evidence and other information. Three go to the underground levels and investigate what Oliver Davis is up to," he strategies, using the diablo's real name. "Arielle, Axe, and I are going down. You two, go up."