Page 7 of Dragon's Desire

Most of the new recruits nodded, and Wallace said, "I guess that makes sense. But how do they work?"

"These are an alloy that's mostly iron. Iron and magic don't mix. Iron will really fuck up a fae, but it can slow down a witch. The blessings give it a little extra kick. Stick a witch with one of these, and if it doesn't kill them, as long as the blade stays in, they won't be able to cast. That's useful until you can get them in these," he said, picking up the handcuffs. "They're made of a similar iron alloy. They'll burn and blister a witch, but that's what it takes to bring them in sometimes."

Next, he picked up one of the bolts.

"These are the blessed bolts. Same deal as with the daggers, just at range." Then he showed them the crossbow. "This is smaller than most but is still a little bulky, but it's as good as we've been able to do and still have the strength to fire a heavy bolt made out of mostly iron. PEACE says they're working on it, but I don't know if it's a priority for them."

He could see the disappointment on some of the recruits' faces.

"Trust me, guys, I wish it were different. Blessed weapons are hard to make. A few people have swords, but they're not particularly light. With our current methods of production, we're lucky to have these. It's part of the reason witch-hunter training is so intense. We can't afford to give limited resources to agents that are just going to end up dead. We send you out there with five bolts, and you don't come back, then that's five less from our limited supply."

Then he smiled, lifting Luara's face to meet her eyes.

"Don't be too discouraged, though. These are hard enough that you don't need to worry about them breaking."

He stepped back.

"You can always retrieve them from a witch's body if you've done your job right. But we do have one other trick up our sleeves," he said, picking up one of the clay jars.

"Witch bottles are one of the few tools we have in abundance because their power comes from the sigils on the clay mixed with the contribution from the wielder."

"Contribution?" one of the other recruits asked. She'd been silent the whole time, so Peter was a little shocked but pleasantly so.

"Yes. Bodily fluids. You add your own urine, and this thing protects you from magic, at least for a little while. They can essentially burn out if they take too many hits, and you'll have to top them off. It's one of the reasons urine is the most popular option. Easiest to do if you stay hydrated."

He could see the slightly disgusted looks on their faces.

"I get it, folks. It's not glamorous, but who said this job was. It's not my favorite thing, but peeing into a bottle is a lot better than getting fried, charmed, or whatever else a witch might throw at you. You need to be holding it between you and the witch, but it will keep you safe."

He set the jar down and asked, "Do you see any other weapons we could use?"

Some of the cadets looked around as if waiting for something to drop from the sky.

"Yourself," Wallace answered.

"Good job. Head of the class. Yes. Witches have powerful magic, but it makes them arrogant and lazy. While sticking them with a dagger is a sure bet to keep them from casting, you pummel a witch enough, then the pain alone will throw them off balance."

His eyes met those of the woman he'd been flirting with.

"Laura. Come here. I'd like to show you some moves," Peter said.

Just as the buxom cadet stepped forward, one of the PEACE administrative staff poked his head into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir. But HQ has been trying to reach you. They called several times."

Peter looked at his phone. It was true. He'd missed several calls. He was just about to see how limber Laura was. But that would have to wait.

"Hand-to-hand training. Considered it homework," he said, gathering his things. When he looked up, Cadet Wallace and Laura were talking, and she was just as moony-eyed about the cadet as she'd been for the teacher when he was in front of the class.

I hope he appreciates that I warmed her up for him,he thought as he headed out the door.

6

PETER

Peter didn't think working for PEACE was so bad, but they were a little uptight, maybe sterile even. PEACE headquarters was anicebuilding, but it had no life to it. No character. That's what you get when you quickly build a new facility for a new agency that springs up in a new world.

But it wasn't like Peter thought the world was all that new. He'd grown up in the thick of it his whole life. It didn't mean it wasn't shocking when the Veil fell. It just wasn't for the reasons most people were shocked by it.

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