anywhere--else pulsed in his veins. The power increased as he ascended higher until he fought for

every single inch. Sweat stung his eyes, ran down his back, and collected in unmentionable places.

And don't get him started on what it was doing to his collection of wounds. He cursed both Onora and Kurt multiple times.

Sheer stubborn determination kept Janco moving. He reached the window. Once he climbed inside, the magical pressure dissipated. Swaying with relief, he paused a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness.

He'd entered an office. By the amount of cobwebs, dust, and mouse droppings, he doubted anyone had worked in here in ages. Janco crept to the door and eased it open. Voices sounded from below. He caught the words "inventory" and "border patrols." It was enough to confirm his guess that this was a black market operation. He wondered what illegal goods warranted the magical protections. Curare?

Theobroma? Harman sap? If he had his way, all that magic crap would be tossed into a giant pile and burned.

Janco stepped onto the metal walkway, allowing his weight to settle slowly to avoid loud squeals. He peered over the railing. Why did all these warehouses look the same? Large open areas with crates piled high. Bare cement floors. Chains and pulleys extending from the ceiling. Metal see-through stairs. Did they expect something to spill on the steps? Was that why they eschewed normal wooden stairs? And the smell...think rust, oil, mold, and dead animal all mixed together. The entire place was creepy.

He didn't see anyone. But he counted at least four distinct voices. Moving closer to hear them better, he tiptoed halfway down the stairs.

"...scouted...castle...found a farm..."

"...water...well...unguarded..."

"...one more shipment...have plenty...poison..."

"...should be easy..."

His blood turned to ice. This went way beyond selling black market merchandise. They were plotting murder! Janco needed to leave. Now.

He spun to retreat. But the steps suddenly gave way under his feet. With a cry of alarm, Janco plummeted. Pain shot up his legs as he crashed to the hard floor. Too bad that wasn't the extent of his problems. Because he also landed in the middle of a cage.

A loud metallic bang sounded overhead. He glanced up as the magician locked the hatch.

"So predictable," the magician said with a big grin. Then he looked up. "I told you he wouldn't be able to resist. A bit of magic, some suspicious activity, and he was hooked."

Janco followed his gaze. Standing on the other side of the cage were four more thugs. All armed. All staring at him with highly amused expressions.

"You were right. I just didn't think it'd be this easy," said one of the thugs.