Chapter Four #2
Tracking the magical black market network was an ongoing issue.
It had plagued the realms for centuries, growing into a sprawling criminal network that refused to stay dead.
Every time the Guardians or the Supernatural Council dismantled one operation, two more seemed to emerge somewhere else.
It was less like fighting an organization and more like battling a hydra.
Cut off one head, and two more inevitably took its place.
The magical black market adapted faster than anyone could eradicate it.
And new buyers were always emerging, willing to spend a lot of money or trade precious items for what they wanted.
The Guardians had spent countless hours tracking the different operations, trying to put together a comprehensive map of all the different arms of the organization.
Unfortunately, they seemed to add more cells than they had eradicated.
The traffickers dealt in nearly every form of forbidden magic imaginable.
Harmful charms and spells designed to manipulate emotions were sold at high prices, along with curses and hexes capable of destroying bloodlines.
Secret auctions catered to the wealthiest and most ruthless buyers, offering enchanted weapons, rare magical ingredients, stolen artifacts, and ancient relics that should never again see the light of day.
Some of the merchandise was merely rare, valuable to collectors with more money than morality.
Other items were catastrophically dangerous.
They were objects that could erase memories, imprison souls, corrupt magic, or rewrite the threads of fate itself.
In the wrong hands, some artifacts could destabilize kingdoms or ignite wars, while others had the power to alter destinies.
Those were the items Viktor worried about most.
Power could always be abused, but objects capable of reshaping fate had consequences that extended far beyond the individual who possessed them.
One careless transaction made in the shadows could ripple across the realms, creating disasters no one saw coming.
Except for someone like him, who was born with the ability to see glimpses of the future.
The trafficking ring had quickly become one of his highest priorities after intelligence suggested the organization had recently acquired several powerful relics.
The magical items were capable of causing devastating damage if they fell into the wrong hands, it was vital to recover those items before they wreaked havoc on the supernatural and human communities.
While he’d been studying the data, Viktor had a premonition that showed him fleeting glimpses of an exclusive auction hidden behind layers of magic and secrecy.
Wealthy bidders sat in elegant chairs, paddles raised as priceless treasures changed hands.
The vision was fragmented, but one thing was unmistakable.
It was a chance to recover several dangerous items and take down some high-value targets.
Finding out where the auction was being held proved to be more difficult than expected.
Since he wasn’t able to decipher the exact location from his vision, they’d switched their efforts to tracking down the traffickers he’d seen in his premonition.
It had taken days before they had traced one of the traffickers to an area outside of Seattle.
To expedite matters, Viktor reached out to Arson Altera, the head of the local guardians assigned to the Pacific Northwest. Arson was given the task to assemble a response team to remain on standby until Viktor and Cassian discovered the location of the auction.
Once confirmed, the local task force would raid the location and take down the traffickers and clients.
Viktor and Cassian were finally able to follow the trafficker to a remote estate in the woods.
Getting close enough to confirm that was where the auction was actually being held had been difficult, but not impossible.
The organizers had protected the location behind layers of powerful wards and magical deception designed to confuse outsiders.
But they still needed to leave a weak spot for their clients to arrive.
Seeing the portal the traffickers created several yards away from the estate was enough to give them an opening.
They obviously didn’t trust outsiders enough to allow them to enter directly onto the property.
Even though they didn’t know exactly when the auction was scheduled to begin, Viktor and Cassian decided to leave to mobilize the task force.
They could sit in the woods and wait until the clients arrived before everyone moved in.
At least, that had been the plan.
Those plans changed the moment the portal opened up, and more traffickers brought through something neither Viktor nor Cassian had been prepared to see. The magical relics were only a small part of the evening’s entertainment.
The real merchandise for the auction was alive.
Hidden behind the luxurious surroundings and carefully cultivated exclusivity was one of the most depraved parts of the trafficking operation.
Males, females, and even young supernaturals were brought through the portal in gilded cages, treated as though they were nothing more than rare collectibles.
Viktor knew buyers often sought specific supernaturals in the black market for bloodlines, magical abilities, and supernatural heritage.
Those with uncommon gifts commanded staggering prices.
Healers capable of mending mortal wounds, seers blessed with prophetic visions, shifters from specific bloodlines, and rare hybrids were all considered exceptionally valuable.
Some buyers sought slaves. Others wanted living weapons, experimental subjects, or breeding stock to strengthen their own family lines. To the people holding the auction, the supernaturals in the cages were simply merchandise.
As Viktor had watched the cages being taken into the estate, the mission changed. Recovering the relics and apprehending the buyers still mattered, but neither outweighed the lives of the innocent people about to be sold.
Saving the captives became the priority.
He had known they needed to contact the response team immediately, but before he had a chance to teleport to meet with Arson, Cassian made one reckless, foolish mistake. Within seconds, their cover was blown, and the hunters became the ones being hunted.
And as he was struck with a blast of strong magic, Viktor realized he had failed to foresee his own end.