Illusion Town (21 page)

Elias walked to the waist-high glass brick barrier that surrounded the garden and looked out over Illusion Town. Down below he could see the towering new roller coaster that was being constructed on the grounds of the Amber Palace. According to the sign in front, it was called Alien Storm. It was set to open in a few weeks. Hannah had mentioned that tickets for the first few months had been sold out for ages.

Just one more over-the-top attraction in a town that routinely reinvented the definition of “over-the-top.”

The Alien towers at the heart of Illusion Town were enclosed by a great wall constructed in the shape of an octagon. But unlike the walls of the other Dead Cities, the eight-sided barrier was not intact. There were countless ragged holes, narrow fissures and cracks in the green quartz. Several of the ethereal towers had collapsed into rubble. With
his senses only slightly heightened, Elias could see paranormal hot spots scattered around the grounds of the ancient city.

Long ago something had happened here in the desert, something so catastrophic in nature that it had torn open the nearly indestructible quartz walls of the ancient city and left the surrounding landscape much hotter than most of the other aboveground ruins. Even from his lofty vantage point, Elias was aware of the strong currents of energy that shivered in the atmosphere. The paranormal heat within the broken walls of the octagon was as intense as that of the catacombs and the Rainforest and in some places, even hotter.

The eight zones radiated out from the eight ancient walls. The gaudy lights of the grand casinos in the Amber, Emerald, and Sapphire Zones glittered like hot jewels in the night.

Most of the other zones were steeped in moonlight and the green shadows of the ruins. But two glowed with a peculiar paranormal radiance—the Storm Zone and the Fire Zone. According to Hannah, the psi in both zones was so intense that even the homeless avoided it.

He turned away from the view and rejoined the others. They settled into white leather chairs while Perkins offered canapés and glasses of champagne. There was also a bowl of pretzels for Virgil, who rushed out of some nearby shrubbery to accept the treat. He thanked Perkins by going into full cute mode. Perkins was charmed.

With the champagne served, Perkins disappeared into the penthouse. Smith leaned back, hitched up his
white slacks with a practiced twitch of his fingers, and crossed his legs.

Virgil, having made short work of the pretzels, bounded off to explore the gardens.

“After I got your aunts' phone call this morning, I consulted with Detective Jensen of the Illusion Town Police Department,” Smith said. “I also took steps to inform the other members of the Illusion Club. I can assure you there is considerable concern all around. Action is being taken as we speak to find out as much as possible about the gang that attacked you.”

“Good to know,” Elias said.

“Unfortunately, by the time the local police got to the location of the ambush, the assailants had disappeared,” Smith continued. “Detective Jensen would very much like to get his hands on one of the Soldiers of Fortune so that he could conduct a proper interrogation.”

“Why is everyone so sure those bikers are from out of town?” Elias asked.

“Illusion is not without its criminal element,” Smith said. “No city can claim to be crime-free. But generally speaking, our local police are well acquainted with the troublemakers in our midst and do a good job of keeping an eye on them. After speaking with my colleagues and making a few inquiries, I can assure you that the gang you describe was not local in origin.”

“I didn't think so,” Hannah said. “But where does that leave us?”

“I'm still pursuing answers to your question, my dear,”
Smith said. “But I have a few of my own for your husband.”

Elias had been about to eat a canapé. He paused. “Yes, sir?”

“I understand that your family's company recently had some trouble with a rather shadowy organization called Vortex.”

“I'm impressed,” Elias said. “Your connections are excellent.”

“Thank you,” Smith said. “My question is, do you think there's some link between what happened at the project Coppersmith is pursuing on Rainshadow and what happened here?”

“Believe me, I've given that a lot of consideration,” Elias said. “And I'm almost certain the answer is no. Coppersmith Security and the FBPI are still mopping up that other situation so it's possible that something might pop up that links to our problem but I doubt it.”

Smith's eyes narrowed. “What makes you so certain?”

“It comes down to the quality of the hired muscle involved in each case. The bikers who came after us were armed but they appeared to be old-school biker-gang types. The Vortex crowd fielded a much more sophisticated crowd. Gear, transport, outfits—it all had the feel of a well-run, tightly disciplined organization. If there is a connection, Vortex is keeping its affiliation at a very long distance.”

Smith nodded. “I understand your logic. As I said, my people will continue to investigate from this end. I will
keep you informed of any developments. In the meantime, our good friend Ollie and the police assure me that security has been reinforced in the Dark Zone.”

Hannah munched a canapé. “Thank you, Mr. Smith.”

“Of course, my dear. You're one of us. We take care of our own.”

The sudden splashing in the pool sounded very loud in the hushed atmosphere of the penthouse gardens.

Hannah leaped to her feet.
“Virgil.”

Elias looked at the glowing pool. Virgil surfaced amid a lot of churning water and promptly vanished.

Hannah rushed toward the pool. “He's drowning.”

“Be careful, my dear,” Smith called after her. “You'll get your dress wet. I'm sure your little pal is just having fun. Any animal with six paws is bound to be an instinctive swimmer.”

Virgil broke the surface of the pool again, growled in an agitated manner, and disappeared.

Hannah reached the edge of the pool. “He dropped Arizona Snow into the deep end. He's trying to rescue her. He may be able to swim but he's not made for diving, at least not in such deep water.”

“I'll have Perkins fish him out of the water,” Smith said. He reached for a discreetly concealed buzzer in the arm of his chair.

“No need to ask Perkins to take a late-night swim,” Elias said. He got to his feet. “I've got this.”

He looked around for the equipment that was usually located near a swimming pool. As he expected, there was
a ring buoy and a long pole with a net attached designed for skimming debris from the pool.

He took down the pole and net and went to the edge of the pool. He arrived just as Virgil surged to the surface again.

“Relax, Virgil,” Elias said.

He inserted the long pole into the water, scooped Arizona Snow off the bottom and hauled her to the surface.

Virgil chortled excitedly and changed course. He swam to the edge of the pool. Hannah crouched and plucked him from the water. He immediately wriggled free, paused to shake the water out of his fur, and then, fully fluffed, hurried across the pool deck to collect Arizona Snow.

Satisfied, he chortled at Elias and bustled off for more pretzels.

Hannah looked at Elias. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Elias said.

Smith chuckled. “Obviously there are some advantages to marrying an engineer, my dear. They tend to think pragmatically in a crisis.”

Hannah smiled. “Yes. I've already discovered that.”

There was, Elias decided, a little heat in her eyes. It stirred his senses and warmed him all the way through.

*   *   *

An hour later Perkins escorted Hannah and Elias back downstairs and bid them good night.

Elias looked at Hannah.

“Mind if we walk for a while?” he said. “I want to do
some thinking and I do that better when I'm walking instead of driving.”

“Sure,” Hannah said.

They went through the glittering casino and outside into the bright, sparkling lights of the Strip. Virgil perched on Hannah's shoulder. He munched the one last pretzel that Perkins had given him and gripped Arizona Snow, who had survived her near-drowning experience with no signs of damage.

The crowds on the sidewalks moved from one casino to another, buzzed on the energy.

Elias's senses were stirring, too, but he knew that the cause wasn't the Illusion Town vibe—it was the woman at his side.

They strolled past the locked gates that protected the Alien Storm roller-coaster construction site. A number of people had stopped to gaze at the towering heights, chilling twists, and steep loops of the tracks. The sign in front promised that the ride would be the ultimate in roller-coaster rides—the scariest, the most thrilling, absolutely mind-bending.

“Don't tell me you plan to buy a ticket on the Alien Storm,” Hannah said. “I would have thought you'd had enough Alien storm energy to last you for a while.”

“You can say that again.”

She laughed. “Runner and his pals can't wait to get tickets on that monster roller coaster. But it's going to be a while. Like I said, it's been booked solid for months. Who knew so many people wanted to ride a roller coaster?”

“According to the sign it's not just any roller coaster.
It's the biggest, the scariest, and the most exciting roller coaster in the four city-states.”

“Well, sure, that's how we do things here in Illusion Town. You know the local motto—‘Welcome to Illusion Town. The thrills are real.'”

“Will Runner and the guys eventually get tickets?” he asked.

“Once the initial rush fades the locals will be able to get tickets at the usual half-price discount that the casinos provide for residents of Illusion Town. But judging by the excitement the Alien Storm is generating, it could be months before the bargain tickets become available.”

She was silent for a moment. He got the feeling she was trying to figure out how to ask him a question.

“Think you'll be spending a lot of time at the new portal jobsite?” she asked.

She sounded politely curious. He couldn't tell if the answer mattered to her or not.

“The Ghost City is the most unique and possibly the most profitable territory Coppersmith has opened up in years,” he said. “There are decades of work ahead and I'm in charge of the R-and-D labs. So, yes, I'll be living here in Illusion Town.”

“Okay,” she said.

He glanced at her. “Just okay?”

She smiled a little. “Okay, I'm glad you'll be in town for a while.”

“So am I.”

He tightened his grip on her hand.

“What are you thinking?” Hannah asked.

“I'm thinking that the local cops are even more in the dark than we are when it comes to getting a handle on the Soldiers of Fortune problem,” Elias said.

“I'm sure they'll figure it out. It's what cops are paid to do, right? And believe me, the Club makes sure our cops are paid very, very well.”

“I believe it. But the guy we're really after is the one who sent those bikers after us. He's desperate. He knows time is running out. He's probably close to full-blown panic.”

“There's another possibility,” Hannah said. “If he's thinking rationally, he may accept the fact that he failed. Maybe he'll just disappear instead of taking the risk of getting arrested for attempted kidnapping.”

“If we're right about him, he's an obsessive collector who has spent a lot of time, energy, and money trying to find the Midnight Carnival. You're the expert on obsessive collectors. Do you believe that he'll give up?”

She hesitated. “No. Not if he thinks there's still a slight chance of achieving his objective.”

“We need to draw him out into the open—convince him that there is a chance to grab you.”

“How do we do that?”

Elias stopped. “I've got an idea but we're going to need backup.”

“Cops, you mean?”

“No. Local DZ talent. People we can trust.”

“So this MC was all about protecting Hannah?” Clara Stockbridge studied Elias with a long, cool, assessing look. “That seems like a rather extreme step to take under the circumstances.”

“In hindsight, it wasn't necessary,” Hannah said quickly. “The problem was that after we came up out of the tunnels that first night we realized we were both going to crash. We knew we'd been hit with some kind of heavy energy. We assumed we might experience some memory loss. We had no way of knowing how much we would recall after we woke up.”

They were sitting on loungers on the balcony of her aunts' house. It was the home in which Hannah had been raised and she felt attached to it in some indefinable way. The residence was situated on a gently sloping hillside, close enough to the Wall to soak up the strong vibes of
the ruins and high enough to offer a fine view of some of the glowing emerald structures of the Dead City.

Clara and Bernice had bought the property soon after Hannah had arrived on their doorstep. At the time both women had been in the process of crafting what had become a highly successful magic act. Clara had a talent for sleight of hand and Bernice possessed a gift for altering the currents of her aura in such a way that it rendered her invisible to normal human sight, at least for short periods of time.

Their particular paranormal abilities were common enough among the entertainers in Illusion Town, but Clara and Bernice had succeeded in a crowded market by adding a glamorous song-and-dance routine. Any halfway decent magician could make a pretty lady disappear onstage. Two spectacularly dressed women who could do feats of magic while also performing an elegant striptease and singing popular songs had proven to be a surefire formula for filling casino nightclubs for nearly thirty years.

Clara and Bernice had both been stunningly attractive women in their prime but looks alone would not have assured a comfortable retirement. Illusion Town, after all, was filled with beautiful women. But Clara and Bernice had been pragmatic about their futures from the start. They had accepted that the Ladies of High Magic act would not last forever and they had prepared for the transition to private life by investing well. It turned out that, in addition to a talent for sleight of hand, Clara had a gift for playing the stock market. And Bernice had proven to have a flair for buying and selling real estate.
The result was a flourishing second career for each of them.

They were both in their fifties now. The years had taken a toll but to Hannah her aunts still radiated glamour, grace, and feminine power. Clara and Bernice were, and always would be, her role models.

“So you got married knowing that, if you did lose your memory, you would at least start asking the right questions when you came out of the crash,” Bernice said. She gave Elias an approving smile. “And you hoped that the creeps who were chasing Hannah would think twice about kidnapping the wife of a Coppersmith.”

“That was the plan,” Elias said. “But the real problem was that we weren't sure at first why someone was after her. It could have been to stop her from opening the gate at the portal. But now we think this is all about her new find in the Underworld.”

“And you're gallantly sticking with the marriage until you identify whoever is trying to steal Hannah's find?” Clara asked, her eyes sharp. “How very noble of you.”

Hannah winced. “It's not like that, Aunt Clara. Not exactly.”

Bernice waved a silencing hand at Clara. “Don't mind her. She's the naturally suspicious type.”

“I understand,” Elias said. He looked at Clara. “In your shoes, I'd have the same questions.”

Clara gave him a chilly smile. “Bernice and I are, naturally, concerned about Hannah's safety. Her uncle Ollie runs that part of the DZ. He tells me he doubled the neighborhood watch and he's making inquiries into what
happened the other night. And Mr. Smith assured me he would get to the bottom of this.”

“Yes, we know,” Elias said. “Coppersmith Security is also monitoring the situation as far as possible from the outside. But there's not much they can do inside Illusion Town.”

“That's for damn sure,” Clara said. “The Club runs this town, including the police. But the good news is that, generally speaking, the cops do a good job of maintaining law and order.”

“I don't doubt it,” Elias said. “Coppersmith Security is working with the FBPI on the outside but they are sharing information with the Illusion Town police.”

“Which is the same as sharing it with the members of the Club,” Bernice said. “You can bet none of them will take kindly to the idea of an out-of-town gang thinking it can just roar into Illusion and try to kidnap a local resident.”

Bernice, acknowledged by both Clara and Hannah as the serious cook in the household, served dinner on the balcony. Virgil was provided with a dish of his own at the far end of the table. Unlike the others, who took their time finishing the meal, he made short work of his plate of roasted vegetables and crab cakes. When he had polished off his share of the chocolate-cookie-and-whipped-cream dessert, he grabbed Arizona Snow and hopped up onto the railing. Hannah thought that he appeared to be savoring the DZ night vibe, always stronger after dark. But who knew how a dust bunny interpreted the heavy currents of energy in the atmosphere?

As far as she could tell, Elias had weathered the
relentless grilling from Clara with admirable aplomb. It certainly hadn't affected his appetite. He'd asked for seconds on everything, including dessert.

In fact, he gave every indication of being prepared to linger over coffee and discuss the finer aspects of his crystal and quartz research with a surprisingly interested Clara. Hannah decided enough was enough. Her aunts were putting Elias through the sort of ordeal a man expected to endure if he was proposing a full-on Covenant Marriage. But it was understood from the outset that most MCs were fated to be short-term. The operative word in a Marriage of Convenience, after all, was
convenience
.

“Wow, would you look at the time,” she said. She gave Clara and Bernice a bright smile. “I'll help with the dishes and then we'll be on our way.”

“Don't worry about the dishes, dear,” Bernice said. “Clara and I will take care of them later. Why don't you show Elias the garden? It's so pretty at night.”

Hannah froze, trying to think of a way to decline. Before she could come up with a response, Elias rose from the table and looked at her.

“I'd like to see the garden,” he said.

Bernice beamed.

Clara waved a hand. “Go. We'll deal with the dishes.”

Hannah got a small shock of alarm. Clara had as good as given her approval to the marriage. The garden, after all, was her personal passion. Permission to enter it was considered a gesture of welcome.

Hannah drew a breath. “Okay. I guess.”

Elias looked amused. “Don't get too enthusiastic.”

She glared and turned on her heel.

“Follow me,” she ordered.

Sensing an outing, Virgil chortled and vaulted off the balcony railing. He landed adroitly on Elias's shoulder.

Without a word Hannah led the way downstairs to the back door. She opened it and moved out onto the wide porch. Elias followed, closing the door quietly. He joined her at the railing. Together they looked out over the softly glowing wonderland that Clara had created.

Under the influence of the heavy psi currents in the area the leaves and blossoms and vines gleamed and glittered and sparkled like psi-infused gemstones.

“This is incredible,” Elias said.

“All the plants and herbs and flowers were chosen for their natural paranormal luminescence,” Hannah explained. “They're all attractive during the daylight hours but they really shine after dark. Some people string colored lights around their gardens to celebrate the holidays but Clara's garden glows all year-round.”

“My mother would love to see this,” Elias said.

For the first time that evening Hannah relaxed a little. “It is pretty amazing, isn't it? Aunt Clara has been working on it for years, developing hybrids that thrive in the atmosphere here in the DZ.”

Virgil bounded down off Elias's shoulder. He chortled a cheery farewell to Hannah, and disappeared into the garden with Arizona Snow.

Elias put his arm around Hannah's shoulders. She was very aware of the heat and strength in him. Instinctively she nestled a little closer.

“In addition to my mother, I know some serious para-botanists in the Coppersmith labs who would pay good money for a tour of this place,” he said.

“I think Aunt Clara would enjoy showing some real experts around,” Hannah said. “She is always conducting experiments with new seeds and cuttings. A few years ago she created an orchid that she named in honor of me. Want to see it?”

“Of course I want to see it.”

“It's over there by the little pond. Come on, I'll show you.”

Somewhat reluctantly she moved out from under the comfortable weight of his arm and went down the porch steps. They walked along the gently curving path to the bubbling fountain and stopped in front of a cascade of elegant turquoise blue orchids that glittered like rare jewels in the night.

“This is it, Magic Hannah
,
” Hannah said. “I was thirteen when Clara developed this particular orchid. It was a birthday present of sorts. I was just starting to dream-walk and I had become afraid to go to sleep at night. My aunts had no way of knowing what to expect because they didn't know much about my para-genetics.”

“Your brand of talent would be enough to unnerve any teenager,” Elias admitted. “To say nothing of her family.”

“I thought at first that maybe the dream-walking was some kind of scary magic. Clara and Bernice told me to remember that what looks like magic to the audience always has a logical explanation and that to be a good magician, you have to maintain control of the trick.”

“In other words, they let you know that you would have to learn to control your talent.”

She laughed. “It was either that or spend a lifetime trying to stay awake. I didn't think that would go well.”

Elias studied the waterfall of glowing orchids for a time and then he turned Hannah in his arms. She could see the heat in his eyes.

“I think I know why your aunt named the orchid Magic Hannah,” he said.

“Because of my weird talent?”

“No,” he said. “Because sometimes the magic is real.”

She smiled. “That's funny coming from an engineer. I doubt if you ever believed in magic even when you were a little kid. You're the guy in the audience who can't enjoy the show because he's too busy trying to figure out how the trick works. And once you know, you lose interest in the performance.”

“So, when I tell you that some magic is real, you know I'm telling you the truth.”

He kissed her then amid the glowing leaves and sparkling flowers. She opened her senses to the night and to the man who held her in his arms.

He was right, she thought. Sometimes the magic was real, at least for a while.

*   *   *

Bernice walked out onto the balcony and joined Clara at the railing. Together they looked down into the radiant garden. Hannah and Elias were at the pond. They were silhouetted in the luminous energy of the glorious
cascade of Magic Hannah orchids. The two were obviously lost in each other's arms.

Bernice gripped the railing with both hands and allowed herself to hope. But she was careful not to let herself go too far. There had been other men in Hannah's life, including one or two she feared would break Hannah's heart. But Clara had always been the one who saw the truth behind the brief moments of illusion. So now she waited for the verdict.

“What's your take on him?” she asked softly.

Clara reached out and gripped Bernice's hand. Their wedding rings gleamed in the soft night.

“I think,” Clara said, “that he may be the first one to understand why we named the turquoise hybrid Magic Hannah.”