In the car, Lu Shen kept thinking about Zeyang with terror. When he had learned that all the shields had been annulled, his first thought had been that they had sacrificed the seeker to activate such a powerful spell. Forcing that fear into a single corner of his heart, he had made himself stay clear-headed in order to find him.
He stopped. They were in the middle of the city. He wondered how they would manage to find him.
Lombardi had just arrived and several police cars were parking.
Andrea was with them.
He reached them while Lombardi was unleashing the agents everywhere.
"The drones can't fly," he told him when he reached him.
"I can't see anything anymore," Andrea added. "I can't even see his magic."
Lu Shen tried to summon it, he felt it flowing but couldn't make it come out. In anger he walked away. He looked around. Something was escaping him. He half-closed his eyes. There was something that didn't add up…
"I received a call from the mayor," Lombardi's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "He was ordered to step aside and leave the government of the city to a group of wizards. They have isolated the city and there is no longer any magical protection. They will strike sensitive targets and kill all opponents if we do not cooperate."
"What do you intend to do?"
"Buy time. For now we will withdraw, but we will keep searching."
Lu Shen nodded and walked away.
He cursed himself for not having devoted enough time and attention to that case. If only he had known that Zeyang would end up in the middle of it…
He stopped. He could not afford to lose his composure. He went back to the car and took the notebook he kept in the glove compartment. He sketched the layout of the city and marked the points of the sacrificial offerings — by now he had no more doubts that they had been such — and searched on his phone for the photos of the stolen objects.
The Rune Cube. He understood that it must have been used to accumulate the energy for the spell that had annulled magic and disabled technology.
The incense burner. It almost certainly contained residues of previous spells.
The Bowl. It collected the blood of the sacrifices.
The dagger. It was used for ritual sacrifices.
The ring. Lu Shen observed it. What could its use be?
---
Zeyang opened his eyes and saw a cloudy sky above him. As soon as he tried to move he realized he was tied up. He turned his head and saw several people around him and understood that he was lying on a stone slab with his wrists and ankles bound.
One of the men noticed he had regained consciousness and approached him. "Welcome back among us, seeker."
Zeyang recognized Nicolaij Zalopulos, the secretary of the guild of wizards. His face, however, no longer showed the courtesy he had previously displayed, but arrogance.
The detective tried to move his wrists but the ropes were tightly fastened. His hand, however, became wet. Looking at it he saw that it was his own blood, dripping from a cut on his wrist. He turned and noted that the other was in the same situation. He understood why he felt lightheaded and wondered how long he had been there.
Sensing his thoughts, the wizard stepped closer. "Your seeker's blood made our spell even more powerful. The magic we gathered in the Rune Cube exploded even stronger than with ordinary human blood. Ever since you came to the guild I decided that you would be our final sacrifice."
"Should I feel flattered?"
"You should: your death will allow us to achieve our goal."
"And what would that be?"
"To govern the city," the other replied with a grin. "We wizards will take power. We are superior to you humans. It is right that it be so."
Zeyang laughed. "That thing has never worked!"
"Oh yes, it has. Even if official history erased the evidence. But don't worry: you won't survive to see the change. No one can save you: neither your colleagues nor your wizard friend. And even if they tried, they would die."
Zeyang clenched his fists and thought of Lu Shen and his team. And he hoped they would let him die.
He closed his eyes as he tried to master his anger and find a way out.
---
Lu Shen kept observing the ring. It was silver and the symbol engraved on it was unfamiliar to him. He remembered that it had belonged to a sect of wizards that had tried to usurp power. As was happening now. What function did the ring have?
Then he understood. The symbol was actually a formation for a spell. The one they were using to hold the city in check. On his phone he searched for a map of the urban area and the nearby territory. After studying it and comparing it with the symbol on the ring, he became certain that they were looking for Zeyang in the wrong place.
Lu Shen ran out of the car in search of Lombardi. He found him with Matt, Andrea and Liam.
"Zeyang is in the Four Seasons Park! We have to go!"
Lombardi looked at him. "How can you say that?"
Lu Shen showed him the image of the ring and the design engraved on it. "They misled me with the sacrifice of the lamb, to drive us away and have time to carry out the ritual that is shielding magic and technology. Zeyang is there… he is…" he swallowed "they used him for the ritual," he finished.
Lombardi looked at him for a moment and put a hand on his shoulder. "We will save him." Then he turned to the team. "Let's go. We must be fast but also discreet: they must not see us coming." Everyone nodded and got into the cars.