[8]
Thirty minutes until take off.
Time was running out. I had spent the last hour staking out the warehouse before hiding myself behind a car opposite the building. The doors where shut, the windows high up on the sides were covered in some sort of black paint and the airport work force where actively avoiding going anywhere near it. There was the faintest of sensations scratching at the very edges of my perception; there was definitely something magical in the immediate vicinity. My gut told me that this was the right place.
London City airport was only a small complex, so with a little bit of magic, it had been child's play to sneak past security. What worried me was that the area wasn't peaceful. Everything was running normally.
A couple of planes had landed and taken off in the past hour whilst I had been watching the warehouse, but that in itself was the problem. I had asked Louise to stall any planes taking off, to give me the time to confront Larson, so even this level of activity meant that something was wrong. My mind played back to me calling her mobile phone only for Lou not to answer. A sense of apprehension began to settle in the back of my mind. I did my best to push it aside so I could focus, but a little whirlpool of fear was steadily beginning to build in my stomach. Time was running out and I had to act now before it was too late. Placing my bag on the ground next to me, I reached in and grabbed hold of the blue and yellow sports bottles that Reggie had given me.
"Blue for endurance and yellow for immunity." I said, reminding myself on the contents. "Well bottoms up."
I popped the cap off the blue bottle and swigged it down. I felt a tingling sensation as it went down and almost instantaneously felt it going to work. The well of power deep inside me, from which I draw my magic, doubled in size and depth and immediately I felt like I could take on the world. The euphoric sensation of knowing that right now, in this instant, my will, my power could be matched by no one. I felt a little giddy from the power now running through me and without stopping to think about it, I popped the cap of the yellow sports and downed that too.
Generally as a rule you shouldn't really follow one potion straight away with another. But on the rare occasions that you do find yourself having to do that, you should ideally wait a minute or two. The two potions collided in my stomach and immediately began reacting. It was quite a rookie mistake to make and had I not been trying my hardest not to throw up, I would have been kicking myself. I was brought down hard from my power trip. Although I could still feel all that extra power flowing through me, I had that sobering and humbling sensation of my mistake keeping me grounded. Next I retrieved my two wooden eskrimas and finally the red sports bottle. I placed the bottle into my jacket pocket and stashed the bag under the car. With a murmured word, I sent out a little effort of my will into the car, trashing the vehicle's electronics making sure it didn't go anywhere and remained a good hiding place for my stuff. Before I set off I looked up at the building and closed my eyes. A pressure built up just above the space between my eyes and then I opened my Wizard's Sight. The Sight or Third Eye as some call it, much like the Soulgaze, is an ability every Wizard has. It allows us to see the world unencumbered of natural constraints, the way it really is. The flow of universal energies, how it interacts with everything and the effects our actions make on that current of power. But also like a Soulgaze anything you see, the good, the bad or the downright terrifying, it's yours to keep.
I turned my Sight to the warehouse, checking for magical defences or hidden enemies. Instead of finding any veiled threats, I saw a strange aura emanating from the building. I could see the physical presence of the structure but on top of that spectral flames poured forth from the building, literally spilling out of every window and door like water falling over a cliff or the tide coming in over the shore. The ghostly fire glittered in reds, yellows and oranges and danced wildly from the impact of crashing against the ground. As the falling flames rolled away from the building I could make out badly charred forms of spirits caught up in the waves of fire. Each and every one of them, silent screams etched on their faces, trying desperately to escape. I turned away, forcing my eyes closed. My Third Eye was showing me too much. With an effort of will, I pushed my Sight away and everything returned to normal. My breathing was heavy and quick. I fought to control it but it wasn't easy, crystal clear images of burnt ghosts clung tightly to my mind's eye. My stomach tried to roll right out of my mouth having already been unsettled by the mixed potions. To create that kind of spiritual carnage, something extremely powerful and inherently magical was inside the building. Now more than ever I was convinced; I had found the Icarus Charm.
I forced my breathing to slow down and waited until I was steady again. I made sure the way was clear first and I set off towards the warehouse.
Now despite what you may have seen in the movies, if you're trying to approach a building during daylight without drawing attention to yourself you don't run towards it whilst crouching down. What looks more suspicious, a grown man running round all bent over like the hunchback of Notre Dame or someone walking normally?
I reversed my grip on my eskrimas so the shafts pressed against my arms in an attempt to shield them from view. Trying to act as unsuspicious and non-descript as possible, I crossed the car park. Drawing attention to myself now wouldn't help me in the long run. If I was lucky enough I would be able to sneak into the warehouse, grab the Charm, fry the bad guys and be home in time for a late breakfast.
Yeah, I wasn't convincing myself either.
I approached the door and tried the handle. It was locked, but there wasn't a key lock to be found on the door. Of course, fancy airports like this couldn't risk losing all their stuff because someone got fancy with a lock pick. I looked around the frame to see that just to the left of the door was some kind card swipe mechanism, a small red light indicating that I could go no further.
Ah technology my friend, we meet again.
Waving my hand over the electronic pad, I sent out a trickle of my will and muttered "Hauta." There was a burning smell and smoke swirled out from the mechanism. The red light blinked out and with a fizz of failing electrics, the door opened with a quiet clunk.
"If only it was all that easy." I told myself as I opened the door and went through.