The day, I did another searline, looking for a pce where they could have transferred the Traveler. Area 51 stood out from the start, but it was such a cliché that I couldn’t believe they’d move him there. I kept looking and found more bases in Nevada, but they were much further away, and when I read the articles about the earthquake that hit Nevada wheraveler sent the message, it was clear that the tremors didn’t reach them. Cliché or no cliché, that left Area 51. The idea of searg for an alien in Area 51 was so embarrassing that I felt totally mortified.

  Since Area 51 is in southern Nevada, 83 miles north-northwest of Las Vegas, I didn’t want to go there right away but wait for Al to finish the potion. In the meantime, Mahya and I kept ourselves busy. She wanted me to e with her to gamble, but I didn’t feel like it. Instead, I made a list of all the pawnshops in Vegas and started visiting them one by ohere were a lot of pawn shops in Vegas!

  The first pawn shop I visited had an enormous dispy of expensive and semi-precious jewelry. I asked the store owo see the jewelry, used Appraisal on each, and wrote down the price. When I did the math at the end, the amount was just over seventy thousand dolrs.

  I asked the shop owner, “How much would you sell me all the jewelry if I paid in cash?”

  The shop owner’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at me. His voice rose slightly as he asked, “You want to buy all the jewelry? Are you sure about this? And why do you need so much?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’m opening a sed-hand jewelry store in Soho, New York. I ’t opeore without stock, and I’ve heard Vegas has the best sele.”

  He nodded slowly, processing my words. “That’s a great idea. I’m sure you’ll make a killing,” he said, scratg his thoughtfully. “I sell you the entire iory for fifty thousand dolrs, but I’ll need a Sales Tax Resale Certificate and an Iate Transas form.”

  Feigning a casual demeanor, I started rummaging through my backpack. After a moment, I jured the necessary dots, handing them over with a fident smile. “Here they are,” I said, filling in the fictitious name of my future store, “Heirloom Haven.”

  He ied the dots, nodding in approval. “Alright then, we have a deal,” he said, extending his hand for a handshake.

  We shook hands firmly, and I felt a surge of triumph. This was just the beginning. I went to store after store and bought all their jewelry until I ran out of the money I won gambling. Despite having another 300,000, I chose not to use that money, resulting in Mahya’s victory—I joined her fambling. After winning another 280,000 in five different os and patting my Lu the back, I finished ing out all the pawnshops of jewelry.

  Al called to inform us he would finish the following day, and I began searg for aodations near Area 51, but not too close. The closest pce was in Rachel, Nevada, at Little A’Le’Inn, 25 miles from Area 51, but it ecific for aliehusiasts, so I thought staying there would be a bad idea. The pce I found was Amo, Nevada, at the Amo Inn, 50 miles from Area 51. It sounded much better, especially si was close to the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. We could always say we were dirt bikes and ATV enthusiasts—the pce erfect for that. I booked rooms in the inn and called Al to let him knoould leave when he was done.

  In the evening, a few minutes before Mahya and I left for a final round of gambling, we felt Sonak approag, but somethi wrong. Like he was suddenly weaker, even weaker than Al. I opehe door and waited for him to e. He came out of the elevator, swaying from side to side and dripping blood, resting a blood-stained hand on the wall. I quickly sent a mana dart at the security camera before he got into its range, ran to him, lifted him over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and carried him into our room.

  I id him on the sofa, my pulse quiing as I called, “Mahya, I need yently.”

  She came running, her eyes wide with as she skidded to a stop. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, gng at the blood dripping from him. “But he dripped blood and smeared it on the wall.” I k beside him and cast Diagnose. “While I care for him, I need you to up the blood so nothing leads to us.”

  Mahya’s brow furrowed as she sed the mess. “I don’t have the spell.”

  “Shit,” I muttered under my breath, running a hand through my hair. I immediately opehe spell list, paid three points, and bought the spell for Rue.

  “Rue, buddy, go with Mahya and all the blood off the stairs, the walls, the elevator, and everywhere else. Use your o find every drop of blood in the area. Pretend Mahya is taking you for a walk to pee and pull her toward the blood. Okay?”

  “Rue ! Rue good boy! Rue helping!”

  “You’re the best boy in the world. Now hurry, go .”

  After they left, I cut off all the clothes from Sonak, diagnosed him again, and cast Ahesia. The first bullet was lodged near his left shoulder. I carefully made the incision, w with precision to avoid damaging any vital structures. As I pulled the bullet out, I cast Healing Touch, and the tissue kogether seamlessly.

  Moving to the sed bullet, which was embedded in his lower abdomen, I repeated the process. I carefully extracted the bullet, my fingers deft and sure. Another cast of Healing Touch followed, and I watched as the wound closed, the healing magic doing its work.

  As I pulled out the bullet, I muttered, “Of course, he’d run straight into gunfire. Probably thought he was some kind of superhero. What an idiot…” I wiped my forehead, trying to stay focused. “This is what happens when you think you’re a one-man army. Good thing I’m here to up the mess.”

  The third bullet was trickier, near his ribcage, too close to his heart. I maneuvered around the bones with great care. After a few tense moments, I successfully removed it and immediately cast Healing Touch. The spell again worked its magic, mending the torn tissues a his body.

  The fourth bullet had lodged itself in his thigh. I made the incision, carefully removed it, and cast Healing Touch; the muscles and skin knitted back together.

  Finally, the fifth bullet was the most challenging, positioned dangerously close to his spine. I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves. With painstaking precision, I extracted the bullet and cast Healing Toue st time, watg in relief as the wound healed without plication.

  I sent o Healing touch through him, cast and Purify ohing, and stopped the Ahesia. He kept sleeping peacefully, but I wasn’t having it. I shook him awake oo gently, my grip firm on his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open, fused and startled. I gred down at him, my expression a mix of anger and urgency. “What did you do?” I demanded, my voice tight with frustration.

  He blirying to gather his thoughts. “I was trying to rescue my friend,” he said, his voice shaky and defensive.

  “And from where exactly did you try to rescue him?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning forward slightly, my eyes b into his.

  “At the military base where I felt both of you,” he replied, looking away as if avoiding my gaze.

  “Where exactly in the base?”

  “In the square building with the soldiers built around the Gate,” he mumbled, his shoulders slumping uhe weight of his admission.

  I threw my hands up in exasperation. “You’re an idiot, you know that? First, you didn’t bother to find out about security. You must have thought that you could get through without being noticed if you were invisible. Did it occur to you that these people work around the Gate and are used to invisible Travelers? Huh?” I paused, watg him squirm under my scrutiny. “And I’m sure you didn’t bother researg military ons, did you? You thought you had a mana shield, and you’d be fine. Why do you think we didn’t go in there from the start? I told you we should pn our approach.”

  Sonak kept his gaze fixed on the floor, his shoulders slumped. “I didn’t know what else to do,” he started, his voice barely audible. “Every mihat passed felt like another ce slipping away. Having lost people before because I waited too long, I couldn’t simply sit bad let it happen once more. I thought…” He swallowed, his fiwisting anxiously in his p. “I thought maybe if I just acted, if I did something, it could ge things.” His voice dropped even lower as he finally looked up, meeting my eyes. “And… I thought you were cowards.”

  “You thought!” I half-shouted, my voice rising in pitd volume. “Why didn’t you talk with us to find out? You assumed something out of your ass and ran with the assumption.” I jabbed a fiowards his chest, emphasizing each word.

  His face flushed with anger, and he shouted back at me, “You did nothing to help!”

  “Because we were waiting for you!” I shot back, my hands now gestig wildly. “There’s no point in making a pn and ging it when somebody else joins. We didn’t know anything about you; how could we pn anything?”

  He looked at me, his anger slowly dissolving into a look nation. His shoulders sagged, and he avoided my eyes, saying nothing.

  “Besides,” I tinued, my tone softening just a fra, “your friend is not on that base.”

  His head snapped up, eyes wide with disbelief. “How you be sure? Maybe we ot feel him because of the mana suppression.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to steady my emotions. “Because the wind scouted for me. Nothing hide from the air; it’s everywhere. Your friend is not on that base.”

  “The wind?” he asked in a bewildered tone, his eyebrows knitting together.

  “I told you I’m aal wizard, didn’t I?” I said, shaking my head in frustration. “Never mind that for now. How did you get here?”

  “On a motorcycle, I bought the skill to ride it,” he replied, gng up at me briefly before looking away again.

  “Where is it now?” I demanded, my eyes narrowing.

  “I stored it,” he answered, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “Did anybody see you?” I asked in a sharp tone.

  He looked down, his face flushing with guilt and uainty. “I’m not sure; I was in a terrible state,” he mumbled, his voice trembling slightly.

  Mahya and Rue came back, and Mahya urgently said, “There are military personnel in the lobby talking to the manager.”

  “Did they see you?”

  “No, Rue saw them, and we snuck away. They might have seen Rue,” she replied, her eyes wide with .

  I stood there, thinking rapidly, trying to e up with a solution, and suddenly got an idea. I turo Sonak. “ge gmor. Also, you’re naked; put on only underwear.” Turning to Mahya, I said, “Undress as much as you feel fortable.” Then I told Rue, “Go to the bedroom to watch TV quietly, and don’t e out until after they leave.”

  Rue licked my hand, shouted, “Yes, Boss!” and dashed to the room. I ughed, feeling some of the anger drain out of me.

  Sonak wore underwear that was obviously not from this world. The fabric had a sleek, almost metallic sheen, and the design was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Gng at him, I said, “That won’t work.” I threw him a closed package of boxer briefs and said, “Put one of these on.”

  I stripped down to just boxers and one sock, and Mahya got down to her underwear and a bra. In a haphazard manner, I took our clothes and scattered them around the room. Taking out another pair of pants, a shirt, and shoes, I added them to the se. I took out a pack of cards, shuffled them, and threw them in a pile on the floor in the middle of the carpet.

  I took out three bottles of whiskey, opened one, poured some into my hand, and spread it on my chest and face. Then, I went to Mahya and Sonak and told them, “Spread this on your fad body until you stink.”

  Taking the sed bottle of whiskey, I poured half a bottle onto the carpet he suite’s entrand eled low-level Heat to dry the stain and spread the smell more. I opehe third bottle, poured more onto my hand, and waved it to scatter drops around the room. Spirits! Our living room smelled like a distillery. I felt myself getting drunk just from the smell.

  I gave otle to Mahya and oo Sonak, saying, “When they kno the door, sit on the floor around the cards with the whiskey in hand and giggle like loons.”

  Sonak took a breath to say something, but Mahya gave him a death gre and said, “Do as he says. He’s a master at this.”

  I took a theatrical bow her way and said, “Thank you.”

  She ughed, and I saw that some of the tension drained out of her. She nodded, her eyes determined, and Sonak gave a slight, uain nod. We all took our positions, and I could feel the tension rising as we waited for the iable kno the door. With each passing minute, I felt my ay rising, but I kept taking deep breaths to stay in trol.

  After fifteen mihe knock came. I sauo open the door, letting my hips sway slightly to get into character. Oher side stood the lobby manager with two soldiers. As soon as I opehe door, the maarted apologizing, but I ignored him. Instead, I looked at the soldiers from bottom to top with a slow, deliberate gaze and licked my lips demonstratively.

  Turning back to the room, I purred, “Look, honeys, room service sent us handsome soldiers.”

  Mahya and Sonak giggled. Mahya’s ughter articurly ving, a sultry, entig sound, while Sonak’s nervous giggle sounded more like a high-pitched squeak.

  “Did you e to py with us?” I asked, my voice dripping with sedu. I swayed my hips dramatically, letting the drunken act go full tilt.

  The soldiers exged an uneasy gnce, one of them shifting awkwardly on his feet. “Sorry for interrupting, sir. We’ll tinue; you go back to your business,” one soldier said, his eyes darting around, clearly eager to leave.

  “Oh,” I gasped dramatically, leaning against the doorframe and arg my back just enough to make it obvious. I traced a finger down my chest and pouted. “Don’t go so fast. It’s a very fun game.” I paused for effect, my voice l to a sultry whisper. “We’re pying strip poker, and if we run out of clothes, the loser has to give a blowjob.” I threw in a wink food measure.

  Mahya, perfectly in sync, shouted, “Or head!” before erupting intiggles, c her mouth with one hand. She got up and wobbled on her feet as if she was about to lose bance, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She also approached the door.

  I love petent sidekicks!

  I sched up my nose pyfully and added, “Or head. But blowjobs are so much more fun, don’t you think?” I shot a sly grin at the soldiers, raising my eyebrows suggestively. One soldier’s face turned so red I was momentarily worried for him.

  The red-faced muttered under his breath, “I hate Vegas,” while the other rubbed the back of his neck, clearly mortified.

  I waved my hand from side to side, spraying whiskey in a wide arc that spttered onto the soldiers’ boots. “How you hate Vegas?” I slurred, adding a hiccup for effect. “It’s the most amazing p the world!” I staggered a step closer to them, my grin wide and unsteady. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?”

  My gaze flicked between them as I took another deliberate step forward. “e on, py with us. I promise I won’t tell anyone.” I reached out, aiming for one soldier’s chest with an exaggerated, sloppy touch. He flinched, stepping back so quickly he nearly tripped over his ow.

  I let out a high-pitched giggle and tilted my head. “Oh, e on,” I teased, my voice overly sweet. “You’re not shy, are you?”

  Mahya joined in, stepping closer, her firailing zily along her colrbone. “We don’t bite… unless you ask nicely.” She wi the other soldier, who shuffled backward, bumping into his buddy.

  With an offended fad a puffed-out chest, I crossed my arms dramatically. “Am I not to your liking? People say I’m beautiful.” I stuy bottom lip in a theatrical pout, making my eyes as wide and doe-like as possible. I leaned in slightly, as if waiting for an answer.

  They exged panicked looks, both of them taking aep back. But still not leaving.

  Hmm… let’s up the pressure.

  I zily circled my nipple with a finger, log eyes with the soldier. “e on, don’t you just want a taste?” I slurred, swaying dramatically on my feet.

  At this point, the soldiers finally turned and fled down the hall, practically running; I called after them, “ime you send soldiers as room service, make sure they want to py! It’s no fun being teased!” I flipped my hair back dramatically and shot the manager a sm look. “And bring prettier ones ime!”

  The manager mumbled an apology, his face as red as the soldiers’, and hurried after them. I closed the door behind him, leaning against it with a satisfied smile. Mahya and I exged a gnd started choking on ughter. I didn’t want to ugh too loud, but couldn’t hold it back. I fell on the couch, buried my fa a pillow, and shook with ughter. After a few minutes, I could lift my head from the pillow, still giggling.

  Sonak looked at Mahya ah a mixture of admiration and horror. It was impressive that he mahat specific mix. “Why did you offer to blow them up?”

  Mahya and I lost it again and roared with ughter. I wiped tears from my eyes and said, “A blowjob is an oral sex act performed on a male.”

  Sonak’s eyes got wide as saucers, and his face matched the color of his hair—both fiery red at that moment. We lost it again. My sides hurt from so much ughter, but getting all the tension out was good.