Chapter 43 - Who Dares Wins Part 3

The sun had set for quite some time, pitch black covered the skies. However, the illumination coming from the streetlights did more than enough for visibility. Anya laid flat on the slope of the apartment rooftop, her rifle perched on the apex of the roof. A gas mask covered her face, with how their enemy had been acting so far, she - along with Jen and Dimitri - had deemed it a prudent precaution. Then again, a gas mask was a prudent precaution in more than half of Spook operations. Runes had been etched on the bricks and shingles of not just her building but several in her vicinity. One could provide sniper fire from just a single location and thus she prepared multiple firing positions as decoys. As usual, Jen was operating the sensory equipment and Dimitri was standing by in the event heavy spellwork was required.

"Angel to all, we have what looks like two separate convoys of vans heading into the city," Nathaniel announced on the radio. "One moving down A-90, the other A-702. High speed, highly warded. Most-"

A loud burst of static cut off the rest of the sentence, the sound loud enough to hurt Anya's ears. Anya looked up into the skies where Nathaniel was patrolling. In conventional tactics used by Aurors and Hit Wizards around the world, aerial surveillance via broomsticks was a staple in the textbooks. Against prepared Spooks, it was one of the most reckless moves in the textbooks, only performed if the one on the broomstick was very prepared to be shot at or stretched on resources. With Nathaniel on the broomstick and a National Ward Grid preventing reinforcements from outside Britain, both boxes were ticked.

Fireworks lit up the skies where Nathaniel was, Anya could see the translucent threads of concealment spells weaving around the colourful conflagrations. Anya highly doubted anyone else could put that off without dying, well, maybe Harry could. Down at the streets, Anya could see fingers pointing up at the fireworks and hear the occasional whoop of joy at the fireworks. At least their opponent was tactful enough to camouflage their airburst weaponry as fireworks. However, with how the situation was progressing, the whoops of joy would turn into screams within minutes.

"As I was saying, most likely our targets," said Nathaniel once again. "Group yellow, pick out the enemy escorts, delay or kill. You can ignore the convoys, just make sure the convoys are undefended by the time team group blue acts. Also, given the fact I'm targeted, enemy operatives have already laid out the groundwork to contest us over the city."

Nathaniel's words seemed to have been some cue of fate, not a moment after finishing his sentence, the rooftop next to Anya blew apart. Anya glanced at the damage, it was definitely the work of a magically enhanced rifle firing explosive rounds. She swivelled her eyes to the direction of the shot, peering through the scope of her rifle. Below her, she could already hear several shrieks of panic as roof tiles fell down to the street below. That did not take long.

"Enemy fire," Anya murmured into her radio. "Counting one magical signature at two-nine-zero-zero."

In her eyes, the small distant threads of concealment magic ironically marked out the enemy sniper's position. Six new balls of green thread flickered into existence, unravelling wildly as they began to hide the threads of concealment magic with their uncontrolled fluttering. By the time green threads disappeared, so did the threads of concealment magic.

"Enemy screen," said Anya. "They scrammed fast."

Another nearby rooftop blew apart. Anya looked at the new damage and gauged the direction of the new threat.

"Enemy fire, direction at… three-five-two-zero. Enemy screen there as well. That makes two enemy snipers."

"And that makes a third waiting for you to reveal yourself by shooting," Dimitri grunted. "Standard tactic."

Screens and decoys, those were the staples for Spooks, especially when it came to long distance engagements. Firing magically enhanced ammunition with magically enhanced weapons, especially the powerful ones, was usually more than enough to cause a magical disturbance not concealable by spells. It was a slip that could be picked up by an astute operative who knew his sensory spells - or by Anya's eye which could practically see the outburst of threads like a muzzle flash. If the situation demanded, a Spook would have to change locations to avoid a lethal enemy response. In those circumstances, deploying a screen was helpful in masking a Spook's movements as he repositioned himself.

Decoys were akin to screens, creating magical signatures to mislead enemies. Instead of covering a person's magical signature, decoys sought to replicate a person's magical signature or the magical signature of concealment spells to replicate a hiding person. Scatter enough of them in an area and the enemy would not know which to attack, or they would be forced to attack all of them. Both would place an enemy in disadvantage, the former resulted in the enemy doing nothing, the latter exposes their location, forcing them to continuously relocate. Anya had scattered decoys on the surrounding rooftops in the form of the runes she had carved around the surrounding rooftop and as the third rooftop blew apart, she could only assume the enemy snipers were opting for the latter option.

"They're good," said Anya, keeping her eye on her scope this time as yet another explosion tore through a rooftop, focused on finding the enemy snipers. "They're picking my best decoys. We'll need to relocate soon. Jen, check bearing three-one-seven-five, range one-six-three-zero."

It was one thing to simply place decoys, but Anya had picked up a few tricks from Nathaniel regarding decoys. By placing decoys of varying quality, she could gauge her opponent's sensory capabilities based on which decoys they chose to engage. If they picked a decoy of poor quality, it suggested bad sensory capabilities. If they picked a near undetectable decoy similar to her actual concealments, it confirmed excellent sensory capabilities on the opponent's part.

In this case, Anya guessed she had ten minutes before she ran out of decoys which could actually fool the enemy and was forced to relocate. Ten minutes was enough time.

"Confirmed magical contact, emissions distorted, most likely concealment spells."

"That's the third sniper waiting for me," said Anya. "The other two are just nuisances and I've placed enough decoys for them to play with. I'll wait for the convoy, that's more important. Relay the third sniper's location to Nathaniel and see if there's anyone free to eliminate him."

A minute passed. Another minute. The wailing sirens of ambulances and police cars rose from the streets below. Then, headlights. One pair appeared from around the bend on the road, another trailed behind the first and then a third. It felt just like on the Scottish border, except they were in a city and the moon was high in the sky.

If it was just like the Scottish border, the van approaching in the distance was warded well enough to stop her rifle. However, unlike the Scottish border they were not acting independently, various other teams were scattered around Edinburgh.

"Indigo to all group blue teams sector five," Anya hit the broadcast button on her radio. "Convoy on A-702 has just passed Comiston."

"Noted," a heavily accented voice replied. "Cyan moving to intercept. Azure, sweep their rear will you. How well is it guarded?"

"I'd say group yellow did their job," Anya remarked. "No escorts detected."

Keeping an eye on the convoy, Anya watched as the white vans sped down the street without regard for the safety of passers-by. Men, women and vehicles all flushed to the sides as the white vans plowed on. They came closer and closer towards Anya's position until Cyan intercepted.

It was a white moving blur which slammed against the wards of the van, blowing up into a black fireball. Anti-ward munitions, likely delivered by a rocket-propelled grenade. The van remained unscathed but the wards on it were crippled. Anya reacted immediately, lining her crosshairs on the driver of the leading van. White lines pulled taut in her eyes and she pulled the trigger, milliseconds passed before the windscreen shattered and the leading van lurched to the side, crashing into a streetlight. The night-goers who had moved aside from the speeding convoy broke into a panicked dash, trying to flee the sudden chaos.

A second black fireball erupted in the middle of the convoy, followed by a third at the rear. Anya fired her rifle once more, another shattered windscreen. The second van had swerved to dodge the crashed leading van, the dead driver kept swerving and led the car into an empty bus stop. The road was narrow, holding merely two lanes. As a result, two crashed vans were all it took to block the road. Two teams of Spooks she identified as friendlies burst out from the nearby buildings, one in front of the halted convoy and another from the rear, their rifles and wands raised.

With her objective completed, Anya acted on instinct, grabbing a runic disc and prodding it with her wand. Grabbing her rifle, she rolled off the rooftop as she left the disc there, spewing out raw magic. She gripped the gutter pipe as she fell, slinging the rifle with her free hand before beginning her descent, swiftly climbing down the pipe. The roof she was on moments ago blew apart, the enemy snipers had picked up her location with the two rounds she fired. However, the screen she left behind and the many rows of buildings provided more than enough cover for her to escape undetected.

The first responders exiting their ambulances and police cars paid her no heed as she dashed past them with concealment spells still in place. Anya cut through a block of buildings, intent on moving to the next firing position she prepared when her radio buzzed.

"Cyan to Indigo, message."

"Indigo, send," the crisp voice of Jen replied.

"I'll likely need you here, all of you. The back of the van is sealed with wards, not the usual kind. We'd use explosives, but if our targets are inside we would risk killing them."

It went without saying that with Anya's eye, Jen's spell proficiency and Dimitri's raw magical power - though the specifics of their abilities were kept secret - Nathaniel's proteges had a reputation for bypassing any wards.

"Have you checked with Angel?" Jen asked.

"Unable to reach him." Anya frowned at the reply. It was slightly concerning that communication with Nathaniel was cut.

"Got it, on our way," said Jen.

Anya got the message and changed course, turning to meet up with Jen and Dimitri. With the wards Aleks and Nathaniel had ordered to be laid down, magical transportation was severely limited, that meant running. As she reached a junction, two motorcycles braked in front of her, Dimitri grinned down at her while Jen kept an eye on the surroundings.

"Hop on. Found these parked outside a drugstore."

"Five galleons we'll get shot the moment we reach the open," Anya grimaced, climbing behind Dimitri anyways.

"Five galleons the moving decoys Jen and I released prevents that," Dimitri countered, twisting the throttle. "Besides, you'll give us precognition if we're going to be shot."

"Real reassuring. We should have kept our broomsticks with us when Nathaniel assigned us this position."

"Well, we have to give some effort to maintaining the Statute of Secrecy."

They sped down the lane as civilians ran amok, both from the exploding roofs and the convoy wreckage in the distance. Riding at the back of a motorcycle gave a familiar sense of nostalgia, albeit a twisted, bastardised version given the current circumstances.

"Those asses in Cyan should have used explosives," said Jen as they drove parallel. "Who cares if the missing SAS dies."

"Never thought you'd agree with a Dimitri opinion," Anya deadpanned.

"There are moments when it's better to abide by a Dimitri opinion," Jen shrugged. "An entire team was wiped out on the Scottish border, it's a good indicator to play safe, especially with enemy snipers still around."

"Wait, what the fuck's a Dimitri opinion?" Dimitri asked defensively.

"Something that involves unnecessary destruction, but is somehow accepted in a debrief with Aleks," both Anya and Jen responded in sync.

"When was that a thing?"

"When you suggested transfiguring the stash of explosives into birds back in the Caucasus."

"It was a decent idea," Dimitri muttered under his breath.

Strings of magic hung around the stopped convoy like a tent of webs, some were the product of the vans' wards. Others were screens the other Spooks had established to mask themselves as there was no doubt the enemy had their eyes on the stopped convoy. Two Spooks stood idly by the vans, giving the trio a wave. One was kneeling beside a van, inspecting the runes carved on the sides.

Dimitri and Jen hit the brakes of their motorcycles and the three of them dismounted, heading towards the wrecks. The civilians had all fled the scene, the two vans Anya had shot were both smoking ominously, their engines damaged from the crash. Two other vans stood behind the two wrecks, their windscreen missing and bits of metal charred from spells, the drivers lay dead on their seats. Upon closer inspection, the drivers were Muggles, likely Imperiused.

"This one better not be a fake like the one we met on the border," Dimitri sighed, taking notice of the Muggle drivers.

"All yours," one of the Spooks gestured.

The three teenagers nodded, walking over to the nearest van.

"Homenum Revelio." Jen muttered, pointing his wand. He stared for half a second before grimacing. "Wards blocked that spell."

"Let's just assume the SAS are inside, yeah?" said Dimitri. "Runes all over this thing, all yours Anya."

Anya leaned over for a closer inspection, identifying the runes which build up the wards sealing the contents of the van.

"Right off the bat, synchronisation runes," Anya pointed out. "Open one van and the rest will follow."

"Makes things easier, or a nasty surprise even nastier," said Jen, probing the wards with his wand. "We should set up security in case it's the latter."

A boutique shop down the street burst into flames, one of the Spooks took note and grunted. "No time for security, enemy reinforcements closing in and the other teams are stuck in firefights. We'll try commandeering one of the vans, I'd wager we can squeeze them in."

"That's questionable at best," said Dimitri. "I agree with Jen, we set up security and wait for Nathaniel to give us back up. If that's a trap and we just open it without the appropriate wards, we're done."

"And what are you going to do about enemy reinforcements?" the Spook asked challengingly. "We stay still, we are a sitting duck."

"The three of us can dance with them for as long as necessary," Dimitri shrugged casually.

"The rest of us can't," the Spook growled.

"Then stay out of our way," Dimitri tilted his head. "Your suggestion compromises the objective."

"Don't get cocky, boy," the Spook spat vindictively. "You may be under the wing of Greyhound, but with him being uncontactable right now, I am the one who calls the shots."

Anya looked at the two before turning her attention back to the van. "Dimitri, leave it. We waste more time arguing. Jen, I'm looking at black lines with lots of knots. Definitely a ward made using dark arts."

Dimitri took a deep breath and stepped back, turning to aid Jen in breaking the ward as the other Spooks cleared the path for one of the relatively undamaged vans. Minutes passed by as they worked, Jen taking in the hushed observations from Anya and giving the occasional instruction to Dimitri. Anticipation filled the air and Jen magically 'untied the last knot', waving his wand as he dispelled the ward.

A click was heard as the rear doors of the van unlocked, followed by more clicks from the other van.

"Just in case," Jen muttered. "Stack up, Dimitri cast shields. Anya, keep an-"

Crimson lines filled her sight as the loud bangs of opening doors cut Jen's sentence short. Two blurs darted out from the rear doors of the van, turning to face them. Her Dragunov was still slung over her shoulder, her wand held on her left hand.

They were only several feet away, splitting up and coming from different angles. Lines of magic spewed out of them in excess, seeping through their clothing.

Anya dodged aside, drawing her pistol, her hand moving in a blur. Loud cracks of gunfire. The red lines loosened slightly as whistling sounds zipped past her ear. She aimed over Jen's shoulder and pulled the trigger. Her target ducked, predicting her move and reacting at a speed which stunned her, even she - with her body augmented by runes - could not react that fast.

All black, tactical vest and gas mask. It was similar to Anya's apparel aside from the colour scheme and the fact their gas mask covered the whole head. The two figures adjusted their aim, Anya's periphery registered similar black figures emerging from the other vans, rifles already raised. One of the Spooks from Cyan lay dead on the floor, a hole in his head as blood gushed out. The other two Spooks from Cyan had reacted promptly with Shield Charms.

Her wrist twitched, redirecting her wand. She did not need Jen to finish his intended sentence, they had worked in sync for years. Keep an eye on our rear if the other vans are a threat.

"Protego!"

Dimitri and Anya cast their spells at the same time. Dimitri's shield ricocheting the rounds fired at point blank from the two black figures in front while Anya's covered their rear, taking the blow from the other black figures. She flinched under the pressure of the gunfire, feeling the toll of maintaining the Shield Charm. A crack formed in her charm but the spellwork held its ground. It took high-grade magically enhanced weapons to inflict such damage. These figures were well-equipped.

"Reducto!"

The blue spell left Jen's wand, slamming the shoulder of one of the two black figures in front of him. The shoulder reacted like a popped red balloon, a spray of blood filled the air and a severed arm flew aside, its hand still holding on to the grip of a now ruined rifle.

Anya took aim and fired her pistol at the figures from the other vans, concentrating on holding her Shield Charm. Once again her target moved, reacting with unprecedented speed and taking cover behind the van. A hiss of pain and the sound of fabric tearing caught her attention. Her eyes shifted to Jen and Dimitri.

Jen was clutching onto the wrist of a knife-wielding hand, a cut across his shoulder. The wrist belonged to the figure who had just taken a Reductor Curse. With one arm left, and blood pouring from a mangled stump, the black figure had drawn his knife and lunged. It had dashed around Dimitri's Shield Charm when Jen and Dimitri had diverted their attention to fight the other figure. It had been fast enough to go around a Shield Charm in the small lapse of attention.

Insidious green lines emanated from the knife, Anya caught the runes carved on the knife. It was cursed, no wonder it cut through Spook armour. Thankfully Jen had redirected the stab at the last moment, minimising the damage into a shallow cut. She changed her aim and shot her pistol.

The bullet found its mark, shattering the lens of the gas mask as it entered the eye. Still, the figure tackled Jen onto the asphalt road. The teen squirmed, buying room to aim his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light had finally wiped away life from the unrelenting figure and Jen kicked the body off him, swiping his wand to the other figure firing at Dimitri's shield. The figure tumbled to one side immediately but the spell caught him, an invisible claw seemed to tear his vest apart, throwing him back. However, the spell did not break into his flesh, the vest had managed to stop the spell. The figure climbed back up immediately.

Movement and the tightening of red lines in her periphery drew Anya's attention back to the other figures. The two surviving members of Cyan were still holding, one of them entering the driver's seat of a van.

Two figures appeared around the front of a crash van. Anya would not have noticed them if not for her right eye. They had been dead silent, repositioning themselves away from the rear door they had exited from when Anya aided Jen. Now, no Shield Charms stood between them.

"Screen!"

It was all she could say before she had to react, forced to flick her wand as she extended her Shield Charm. An explosion slammed against her spellwork and charm shattered. The red lines drew taut as she dove desperately. Numbness washed over her chest as she hit asphalt, specks of blood flying in the air. She heard the shattering of the runic discs in her vest, they were meant to provide passive wards, breaking only under extreme stress.

A visceral switch flicked in her head and she slashed her wand. Fire spewed out from her wand, raw and wild. The flames shaped itself into a beast's maw as it surged towards the black figures. They disappeared into the fire which let out an ear-piercing screen, crashing against the wall and spreading towards the other black figures.

Spells flew over her head and a thick black smoke surrounded them, lines of magic lighting up before her eyes. A sharp tug on her collar pulled her away. Anya looked up and saw Jen dragging her, casting some spell on her. Dimitri was firing a Blasting Curse towards the remaining black figures but her Fiendfyre was already descending on them.

"Screen set! Jen, get her out! I'll cover!"

The Blasting Curse was too quiet. Dimitri was too quiet.

Her chest still felt numb and it fired too many signals in her mind. Pain was good, it meant you were still alive. Numbness, it was a bad sign. Anya looked down at her chest and saw bullet holes, blood soaking her clothes.

A wild screech of tires. A van pulled up in front of them, the two surviving Spooks from Cyan sitting in the front.

"Get in! We're not staying!"

"What!? Anya's Fiendfyre wiped them out."

"Not all of them. And we have incoming enemy Spooks."

"Naebali. Got it, we cover your rear, focus on driving."

Anya felt herself being heaved through the van's rear doors. The dead black figure Jen had cast a Killing Curse on was unceremoniously banished into the back of the van, along with its severed arm still clutching onto a rifle. Jen and Dimitri leapt into the van and they drove off, the rear doors swaying wide open as the van moved.

"Tend to Anya. I'll try and comms Nathaniel."

Slowly, the numbness gave way to heat and Anya felt the insides of her chest burning. She could feel her vision slightly blurring as the burning sensation in her chest grew unbearable. Her boots dug against the van floor as she bit her lower lip to ignore everything.

She heard voices, too soft to hear. There was something pushing her arms away from her chest. Her body felt strange.

Everything seemed so distant.

Something pierced the skin on her neck and in a few seconds, the world came crashing back.

"Next step, Accio bullet fragments," she heard Jen muttering. "Why is it not… Fuck me, its cursed. Alright, just keep it stable, Nathaniel can deal with it later."

Hot air rushed into her lungs and she screamed, thrashing on the spot.

"Anya. Anya!" Jen pinned her onto the floor. "Can you hear me? Breathe! Breathe!"

She could taste blood in her mouth. She hated that taste. She tried to form words but all that came out was a strangled noise.

Jen spat out a curse in Chinese before pulling Anya up by the collar. "Anya! This is an order! Breathe!"

Her pupils dilated and her instincts kicked, involuntarily following the command. Everything still felt too dull, too muted, but at least the semblance of control was finally back in her hand.

"Are you good now?" Jen barked harshly, waving his wand to cast the reminder of his healing spells. "Do I still have to go all Grey on you?"

Anya stared at Jen, the concern in his eyes obvious despite his serious countenance. Slowly, she shook her head. She looked at her chest numbly, the clothing and vest was still blood-soaked but the bleeding had stopped. At least she hoped so.

"Cursed bullets, screw me," said Jen, relaxing his grip on her as he glanced at the dead body he threw on board. "What are these people? Someone gave them equipment better than ours."

"Built different too," Dimitri grunted. "Blown off arm and bullet through the eye, still bodied you regardless. You needed a Killing Curse to put it down. And they're fast, too fast."

"That's a modified Heckler and Koch G3 rifle," Anya pointed at the severed arm, finally finding her voice. "We don't use that. Spooks don't use that."

"But the SAS does," Jen continued, realising where Anya was heading. He made his way over to the black figure and pulled off the gas mask.

Anya paled slightly at the sight, the man's head was badly mutilated, shaven bald. It was one thing to etch runes on a person's body - Anya, Jen, Dimitri and any other Spooks had them in the form of runic tattoos - but it was sinisterly overboard to etch runes on every available inch on the human skin. Ears, cheeks, neck and more, the runes were swollen red, carved onto the skin by a blade. Fresh scars bisected the head, hinting possible modification to the skull or brain. Given what had happened, Anya considered it a likely scenario.

"No way," Jen muttered, peeling back an eyelid to reveal pitch black. "This is the missing SAS?"

"At least we know their purpose now," said Dimitri. "And I thought old man Grey conducted messed up experiments."

Anya looked out the rear door and swore softly, her arms fumbling weakly to grab her Dragunov. "We're followed."

Two masked figures on broomsticks flew close to the ground, their wands aimed at the van as they closed the distance. Behind them, a white van similar to the one Anya was on gradually edged closer, one of the missing SAS behind the wheel while two others sat beside it with rifles aimed. Crawling to a prone position, Anya took aim. Jen shouted a warning to the driver. The already fast van picked up more speed, bringing up jeers and screams from passers-by as traffic laws were blatantly ignored.

"Shit, Anya. You up for the task?" Dimitri asked, casting shields in preparation as he looked at her blood-soaked clothes.

"Yes," Anya emotionlessly muttered her short reply, aiming not for the masked figures on the broomsticks but for the coil of concealment spells beside it. "The Spooks on the broomsticks. They look too damn familiar."

She fired and a masked figure materialised from thin air, tumbling onto the road. One of the two initial masked figures disappeared, the magic behind the decoy fading along with the caster. The other masked figure backed off, firing a Blasting Curse before diverting his path into another street. The explosion shook the van but Dimitri's shields held firm. Cracks of gunfire reverberated through the air, driving up sparks on Dimitri's shields.

Panic spread through the Muggles on the streets as the fireball erupted and the sound of gunfire filled the air. People began running for their lives. Anya looked up to see bolts of tracers flying above the city, occasional explosions booming in the distance. More clashes were taking place around the city.

"Edinburgh's turning into a warzone," Dimitri remarked bitterly. "You're right Anya, they did look familiar. Red Spook equipment, those masks are recognisable anywhere."

Another explosion hit Dimitri's shields, this one almost breaking the spellwork as the van was rocked violently, nearly tipping over with its breakneck speed.

"Pizdets, nice to see they have a grenade launcher as well. Anya-"

"They sure drive like a madman," Anya murmured, trying to line a shot at the constantly swerving vehicle. She waited for the moment the white lines in her vision drew taut, a guaranteed sign her shot would find its mark, and pulled the trigger. Blood splattered on the driver's seat of the van tailing them but the augmented SAS kept driving, unperturbed by the gaping hole in its neck. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"Confringo! Locomotor!"

The pursuing van avoided Jen's first spell, the spell blowing up chunks of asphalt off the road. However, it could not dodge the wall of parked cars the second spell threw at it. The van crashed into the cars and the three augmented SAS leapt out without pause.

"There has to be some necromancy involved," Anya commented, opting to change her ammunition type as she dug into the pouches of her vest. Basic enhanced ammutions would not do.

She froze, red lines flickered into her vision and pulled tight. The pain in her chest suddenly felt more real than it already was.

"RED!"

Jen reacted instantly, knowing what she meant. Death was imminent but she did not know why. The premonition her eye gave her had been a saving grace more than once.

"Depulso!"

The Banishing Charm flung Anya and Dimitri out of the van. Anya hastened to draw her wand and they cast their spells mid-air, both already grasping Jen's plan.

"Accio Jen's wand!"

"Molliare!"

Anya's Summoning Charm pulled Jen's wand and by extension, him, out of the van which blew apart in a fiery conflagration. Dimitri's Cushioning Charm prevented the three of them from high-velocity injuries as they crashed onto the sidewalk. They recovered immediately, wands and rifle raised.

"Fumos!"

"Protego!"

Thump.

A smokescreen from Jen. A Shield Charm from Dimitri. A single round from Anya.

Black smoke obscured them from the enemy. The Shield Charm deflected the hail from bullets from the augmented SAS. Anya's round exploded in the air, blowing the torso off the enemy Spook who had intercepted them and cast the high-powered curse which destroyed their van.

"Head north!" Jen yelled over the sound of gunfire. "Nathaniel's meeting us there. Anya, lead the way. Come on, I'll help you"

"Got it," Anya replied crisply. Staggering onto her two feet as Jen pulled her up, steadying her with a firm grip as she began running. Twice her body gave way not after three steps, Jen having to catch her each time. She finally relented as Jen placed her arm over his shoulder, her rifle dangling awkwardly in one arm.

With smoke obscuring normal vision, Anya held an advantage, navigating the three of them into the alleys with ease. Anya looked back and swore under her breath, throwing a hand signal. Jen and Dimitri reacted immediately. They spaced themselves apart, taking cover behind walls and building alcoves.

"What is it?" Dimitri asked

"They're on us. Fast too," Anya replied, seeing through the smoke Jen had laid down. "Seems they are capable in tracking as well."

"I take it you mean those SAS" Jen grimaced. "They probably have magical sensitivity modified into them."

The crack of suppressive fire cut their brief conversation short.

Three augmented SAS exited the smoke and took cover, firing their rifles as they moved. Their aim was accurate as Anya ducked behind her cover, bullets flying through where her head was. She wanted to chance a peek, but the red lines in her vision were on the edge of drawing tight, sticking her head out was a death wish. The augmented SAS were firing at a coordinated pace, preventing any of them from leaving their cover. They timed their reload, movement and fire to maintain a deadly tempo.

"Protego!"

"Confringo!"

Dimitri provided the Shield Charm while Jen fired the Blasting Curse. The intended target darted away, the blur of black easily avoiding the curse. A thunk was heard and the combination of an explosion and bullets cracked Dimitri's Shield Charm, the two managed to return to cover before the spellwork fully broke.

"That grenade launcher is vile," Dimitri groaned loudly. "It's got ward-breaking runes meant to counter Shield Charms."

"Didn't even have time to get a proper aim," said Jen.

Anya conjured a mirror. It was shot immediately, shattering into pieces but it lasted long enough for her.

"Fifty metres away," Anya observed, realising their tactic. "They are staying out of combat effective wand range. One left the alley, no doubt circling around... Shit, those two suppress us while the third goes and flanks us."

"Limiting our spell effectiveness by maintaining distance and pressuring us with high-grade specialised equipment," said Dimitri, begrudgingly impressed. "Someone drilled them how to go toe to toe against magicals, and they're smart about it too."

With how badly their bodies were modified, Anya would not be surprised if 'drilled' was an apt word in more ways than one.

"Well, we know two spells that have worked so far," Anya swapped her rifle for her wand. "Screen."

Jen complied, casting a smokescreen along with balls of magical signature. Anya flattened herself against the ground, worming out slightly from her cover as bullets flew over her. She pointed her wand and injected the desire to obliterate into her magic. The rushing heat of Fiendfyre roared down the alley, her view of the augmented SAS blocked by the rapidly mutating fiery beasts.

The sound of gunfire stopped. It was wishful thinking that the two augmented SAS died, but from what Anya had seen, fifty metres was plenty of room for them to escape. Nonetheless, it gave them breathing room.

"Guess learning that spell in the summer was worth it," Dimitri commented.

"Continue north," said Jen. "The third freak will probably meet us at the end of the alley, with the other two distracted, he's open. Cast concealment spells, we'll need the surprise factor."

The three of them dashed down the alley as the raging inferno spread behind them, practically invisible. Jen's call proved correct as the lone third SAS intent on flanking them came around the corner. Isolated and in close proximity to three prepared Spooks, it did not stand a chance.

"Aguamenti."

"Engorgio."

"Fulgur Maxima."

The engorged jet of water - which seemed to materialise from thin air - caught the lone SAS by surprise. It moved away hastily, but with its body soaking wet and water everywhere, no amount of footwork could avoid the arcs of lightning. The lightning hit the water and nature did the rest, the lone SAS crumpled onto the puddle, convulsing violently. A green jet of Killing Curse hit the limp body for good measure.

They moved north for a few minutes without much trouble, the other SAS had stopped their pursuit for reasons unknown. Anya suspected they had returned to their new owner, they were meant to be smuggled out after all. Edinburgh Castle stood before them, wards had been erected to fortify the castle. However, the wards were not the work of friendly Spooks, they were erected by British Unspeakables, the wizarding portions of the castles were manned by British Aurors. A runestone for the National Ward Grid lay in the magically-concealed dungeons of the castle.

Given the situation, the castle was too much of a strategic importance to leave in the sole hands of British Aurors. Added on with the anticipation of overt violence - which turned out true - Nathaniel had dispatched a team to secure Edinburgh Castle. Currently, Nathaniel stood at the side of a road with several other Spooks beside him, accessing the stone structures of the castle which loomed over them.

It was a welcome sight to finally see friendly Spooks, though they were few in number, the majority of Spooks in the city were scattered around in conflicts. The burning pain in Anya's chest had been growing consistently as the adrenaline faded and now each movement sent a lance of raw pain through her body. As his three proteges approached, Nathaniel glanced at them and the slightest flicker of concern graced his face as he saw Anya.

"Bad?" he asked.

"She'll live," Jen answered for her, catching her as she nearly tripped over a curb.

"I heard you over the radio," said Nathaniel. "How many of those things have you eliminated on your end?"

"Three visually confirmed, two of which disappeared under Fiendfyre. I'm assuming Fiendfyre should kill those things."

"A quarter of them," Nathaniel summed up. "Still a lot of loose ends. The team in Edinburgh Castle went silent, that's problematic."

"The other convoy on A-90?" Dimitri asked.

"Had the rest of the SAS," said Nathaniel. "Fight broke out at the Dean Bridge and they disappeared into the city."

"Dean Bridge? That's near the castle. The team in the castle should have been able to sound off if the SAS approached, the SAS aren't that fast."

"Then something struck fast enough," said Nathaniel, looking at the castle. Something appeared to catch his eye as he signalled the other Spooks who began approaching the castle. "You three are coming too."

Eyes flickered to the bloody vest latched on Anya, but Nathaniel still received grim nods from his three proteges. The three reacted like clockwork, Anya draining a vial of potion to numb her pain as Jen helped her move while Dimitri kept watch.

"Any clues what struck, old man?" Dimitri asked.

"Something from inside," Nathaniel replied. "Anya, report."

"No significant magic from the castle," said Anya, her eyes roving over the stone stronghold. "Clear."

With the aid of magic, they scaled the rocky hill and the castle walls. They worked in silence, the city had gone silent, the sounds of distant explosions and gunfire fading away. Several of the Spooks had veered east to secure the Half Moon Battery overlooking the gatehouse of the castle. Anya had followed Nathaniel to the windows of the Great Hall.

"Anya," Nathaniel prompted.

She reacted instinctively, conjuring a mirror to peek inside the building without exposing herself.

"Clear."

Nathaniel swiped his wand and the windows of the Great Hall flew open, his men storming inside with wands and rifles raised. Anya climbed over the window and took stock of her surroundings; red walls, dark wood and medieval armour adorning said walls.

"Head out to the square outside," Nathaniel ordered two of his Spooks. "I want a perimeter around the Royal Palace, those at the Half Moon Battery will watch the east. The rest of you, on me."

They made their way to the Royal Palace, where the entrance to the magical dungeons lay. Caution clung onto each of them as they checked the building making their way to the entrance, a marble fireplace. A dead Spook slumped against a wall beside the fireplace raised warning bells. Nathaniel approached the body, casting spells to ensure it was not trapped.

"No bullet wounds," Nathaniel noted. "Plenty of spell damage."

"Not the SAS," a masked Spook concluded, a Kalashnikov in his hands. "Entrance is a bottleneck too. We'll be funnelled if the enemy's waiting for us."

The Spook was not wrong, the fireplace entrance was a Floo system running on an internal network, linked only to the dungeons. Being thrown into the dungeons without knowing what was to be expected was a death wish.

"I'll create an opening," said Nathaniel, kneeling down. "You and Volk follow up. If you don't respond in ten seconds, I'll assume you're both dead."

Nathaniel opened one of the pouches in his vest and grabbed a handful of Floo powder, lighting up the fireplace with a spell as he threw the lime-green powder. The fire turned green and Nathaniel took out several grenades and flashbangs, setting them on the floor before aiming his wand. The first spell pulled out the pins, the next transfigured them into birds and the third sent them disappearing into the fire.

"Wait… now. Go."

The two masked Spooks entered the green fire and the rest waited. It was a three second wait before the fireplace erupted in green flames and the head of one of the Spooks popped up, giving an all clear. Anya stepped into the fireplace and out into the dungeons, following Nathaniel as she kept her eyes wide open.

The dungeons was a small place, constructed not by Muggles but by wizards and eventually refitted by the Department of Mysteries. Not much space was needed to ward and house a runestone. As they swept through the dungeons, they found two more dead Spooks. However, there was not a trace of the British Aurors who were secured under Nathaniel's orders, nor was there a glimpse of the augmented SAS. The runestone sat in the centre of the dungeons, a coarse cylinder of basalt with glowing runes engraved all over it. The magic needed to control the National Ward Grid filled Anya's eye, huge coils filling the room and seeping into stone.

"Sir, you'll need to see this," a Spook approached Nathaniel, leading him to a secluded part of the dungeon.

Anya, along with Jen and Dimitri, followed. She grimaced as she saw the gaping maw of darkness, a tunnel leading to who knows where.

"This wasn't here when we initially secured the place," said the Spook.

"I noticed," Nathaniel replied coolly. "Seems the British Unspeakbles hid more than we could find."

"Should we follow?" the Spook asked.

"Track, not pursuit," said Nathaniel. "They'd have slipped through our net, all we can do is follow the trail. No, not the three of you."

Anya, Jen and Dimitri paused in their tracks, all of them in the middle of taking out Night Eye Potions in preparation of tracking in a dark tunnel.

"Why not?" Dimitri asked.

"Because someone needs to get her medical assistance, she's only standing purely because of magic" Nathaniel replied, nodding at Anya. "And she has somewhere to be in a few hours."

AN: There's comes a time when my writing ability cannot keep up with the scenes my mind imagines, I think this is one of those times. Also, a whopping three high-length chapters just for 'Who Dares Wins', do let me know if that's too long or if it's welcomed.