The Secrets of Lore Seymour

37. Lore's Trait

That idiot! We don't know how many people are here or what they're capable of!

"Good evening," Lore says like he's merely taking an evening stroll to get some fresh air.

The guards and chauffeur stare incredulously at him. Chanting an incantation, a golden arrow forms in my grasp. Seeing as Lore showed himself, our best bet is to knock these three guys out prior to any alarm being raised. The first guy goes down swiftly from my arrow hitting his chest. The cast is nothing more than a sleeping spell. He drops, as does the guard beside him from Lore's sudden lunge where he punches him upside the head. The chauffeur almost notifies everyone by shouting, but I knock him out too. Lore smirks back at me.

"How easy was that?" He chuckles, watching me descend from the roof on a golden rope.

"You're lucky none of them fired a shot." I knock my foot against the jacket of one of the guards. Sure enough, there's a pistol at his waist that he was about to grab had I not shot him first.

"I didn't know you were skilled enough to know long range sleeping spells. I heard most mages have to be close to get off such an attack."

"Don't forget that I'm a paladin to the Holy Church for a reason."

Something about Lore's smile makes me shiver.

"Indeed you are," he whispers, then grabs a ringlet of keys from the guard's waist and opens the warehouse doors. A pungent smell of metallic yawns from within. The scent of blood coats us like a film. Lore gags and covers his nose, which must be getting an even worse smell than my own.

No one notices us standing near the entrance. The many workers within stand behind rows of plastic curtains, revealing their shadows frantically moving about. Between the curtains, we catch a glimpse of vampires and dhampir alike doing exactly what we saw at the bar, only most of them look beyond exhausted. During schooling, the priests of Trinia explained that vampires and dhampir do have limits to their toxins. It takes their body time to make and store it. No doubt Ikehn's pushing them to the limit, to make as much money as he can. After all, they're all replaceable.

Lore's movement brings my attention back to him. He glides a few steps away to a powerbox on the wall. Ripping the box open, he grasps the wires within. I almost shout at him in surprise until I remember his trait; power absorption. Sparks of electricity whirl around his hand that don't so much as sizzle.

"Come over here," Lore orders softly, gesturing for me to stand behind him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hiss, but do as instructed.

"Catching everyone at once," he explains, then stretches his hand out towards the room. Someone within finally notices us. Their eyes widen. She grapples for a gun at her waist. She isn't fast enough.

A surge of electricity shoots out of Lore's hand so ferociously that it nearly sends me to my knees. Lights flicker sporadically. The plastic sheets vaporize. Those within the warehouse spasm from the shock rattling their frames. Then they drop when Lore lowers his hand and blows the smoke away from his fingertips.

"Lock up the doors in case anyone wakes," Lore instructs while tossing me the keys. "I'll call Officer Jaryl."

"And the hospital, right?"

Lore sighs. "Yes, yes, and the hospital."

I step around the mess tentatively. People groan on the ground, surrounded by shattered glass and a few flickering flames. While Lore calls the officers, I make swift work of locking the doors and putting out any of the fires started. I wish he'd do it instead. When I step close to the tables of blight, my throat runs dry and my hands shake. A sickness builds in my stomach, memories in my head that flash in vicious cycles. The scent of metal. My aching limbs. The tightness around my wrists, ankles, and neck.