Be smaller, she silently urged the iron. Collapse.

The iron particles trembled at her touch. Their vibrations became faster and faster, as if the metal had melted, but it felt solid in her hands.

Collapse! Val urged again.

A metallic clunk echoed through the smithy, and Val grinned. She knew it had worked before she opened her eyes.

The amulet cooled as she admired its handiwork. To all appearances, the shield had vanished. Val now held only the domed boss, and when she turned it over, the back was flat. The metal gleamed in the forge’s light with an ethereal holographic sparkle thanks to the faerie dust and iron alloy.

“Faerrous,” she suddenly announced.

The dog raised his head.

“That’s what I’m calling the faerie dust and iron mix,” Val told him. “Faerrous steel.”

The dog barked.

“I know. It’s brilliant.” Val grinned. “Wait ‘til you see this.”

She fished a leather strap from the workbench’s drawer and buckled it to the gaps she’d added on the boss’s back. The disc was slightly broader than her wrist when she tied the strap around her left arm.

“Little heavy, but nothing I won’t get used to,” Val muttered.

She rose and strode to an empty area in the middle of the smithy. The dog watched with interest, not moving from his basket, as Val flexed her wrist and adjusted the leather strap.

“Ready for this, boy?” she called, grinning.

Val closed her eyes and felt for the iron neatly coiled inside the armband. The compressed particles hummed in anticipation as her powers brushed them.

This is going to work, she realized. This is actually going to work!

Val raised her arm, gathered her powers, and flicked her forearm over her torso like she was guarding it in a fight. Metal clanked in response to both movement and magic. The faerrous steel plates unfolded from the boss, and the shield formed around the armband. It covered her torso, a mobile barricade against danger.

“Yeah!” Val whooped.

The dog barked.

“It works, dude!” Val called. “Now let’s see how tough faerrous steel really is.”

She grabbed the dented battleax from the weapons rack and hefted it. The dog put a paw over his nose as Val turned to the cast-iron forge and raised the battle axe.

“Stay,” she told him. The dog squeezed deeper into his basket.

“Good boy.” Val drew back her arm and threw the battle axe. It thudded through the air like a helicopter blade, spinning end over end, and the blunted blade noisily collided with the forge. When it ricocheted toward Val, she raised the shield over her head.

The ordinary steel clanged when it hit the faerrous alloy. The impact rippled through Val’s arm, but the battleax rebounded hard. She lowered the shield as the axe clattered to the floor.

“Yeah!” Val punched the air. She flicked her arm up, activating the iron with her magic, and the shield folded into the inconspicuous armband with a hiss. Testing the mechanism, she flicked the shield open again, and it moved effortlessly.

“This is so cool,” Val murmured, running her fingers over the shield’s edge. “Faerrous steel is bulletproof and almost magic-proof. Not many attacks will cut through this thing.”

The dog yipped.

“It’s nice having company down here,” Val admitted.

She was prowling the weapons rack, trying to decide what to use for her next test, when her phone rang on the workbench. Val’s blood turned to ice. She flicked her arm, shrinking the shield, and sprinted across the smithy to grab the phone.

It wasn’t Blair or Yuka, but Val felt no relief. Why would Liam call this late?

The phone flew to her ear. “Lee, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Val.” Liam stifled a yawn. “Sorry. I just saw the time.”

“What’s wrong?” Val demanded.

Liam chuckled. “Calm your ass, Val. Everything’s okay, I promise.”

Val sagged onto her seat. “Shit, dude. You nearly gave me heart failure.”

“Sorry. Did I wake you?” Liam asked.

“Nope. I was working in the smithy. Working on a project you’ll love,” Val told him. “What about you? Why are you still up?”

“Okay, I had a little trouble sleeping,” Liam admitted, “so I thought I’d keep working on that little favor you asked me about.”

Val stiffened. “You hacked into BrewCorp?” Her words echoed around the smithy, and the dog barked.

“‘Hacked’ is a strong word.” Liam paused. “Yeah, I hacked into BrewCorp’s system, which was unbelievably easy. Their security is crap for the most part, as you’d expect from an ordinary brewing company.”

“You didn’t find anything?” Val sagged.

“For the most part,” Liam stressed. “I was combing through their financials when I came across several heavily encrypted files. They struck me as odd, considering that the rest of their security was shitty, so I went digging.”

“Could you get into them?” Val asked.

Liam chuckled. “It took me five hours, but yeah, I got in. I have great news for you.”

Val got up, energy coursing through her. She tucked the dog under one arm and marched up the steps. “Tell me.”

“I uncovered records that show that BrewCorp is much more than a simple brewery,” Liam explained.

“Uh-huh.” Val dropped the dog and strode to the kitchen.

“Val, it’s a legitimate business, but it’s also a money-laundering operation. They’re cleaning money for…guess who?” Liam’s voice bubbled.

Val stopped. “The gang. The one that’s attacking Blair and Yuka.”

“Exactly!” Liam crowed. “The figures are all here. I downloaded the files. I can take it to the cops in the morning. I’m not sure what the legalities are, but it’s irrefutable proof.”