The Rose of India was an old Victorian establishment just outside the Mulberry Estate on the borders of Deptford and New Cross. It was your typical seedy corner pub, club, and casino. You paid for your drinks but could get your facial features rearranged for free. The building dominated a corner of the main thoroughfare. At some point, it was probably quite an upscale establishment, but over the decades and centuries, it had fallen into disrepair. The brickwork and masonry were cracking and falling apart, with parts put back together and held up with a jigsaw of metal and heavy bolts. I'm guessing the large neon sign above it, which flashed constantly with a rose of varying shades of color, probably didn't even exist when the pub was first built, making the place an anachronistic sore thumb like most of New London.

  It was heaving by the time I arrived just after midnight. I was camped out on the roof of the buildings opposite, but unlike the Mulberry Estate, these weren't nice flat square roofs of the modern era. They were old school pitched roofs with horrible terracotta tiles that were slippery and crunched underfoot. I perched precariously holding onto a chimney breast, huddling in the shadows, watching the clientele of the Rose of India. At this time of night, it transforms from a seedy pub, to an even seedier nightclub.

  There was burly security on the doors, and gaggles of scantily dressed women, ridiculously dressed men, all obnoxiously inebriated, and having a good time. There were larger groups standing around in the smoking areas, puffing on vaporizers, and there was still a line of people trying to get into the club. It looked far too busy for me to just sneak in, and I certainly wasn't up to the dress code, so walking in was out of the question. Besides, I don't even think they would let scrawny little Alex in, even if I was dressed like a civilian. I would still probably be too scruffy.

  I found a different angle on another rooftop and saw that the Victorian building at the front was just a part of the Rose of India. It stretched backwards and dominated the neighbouring buildings and gardens. There was more security around the back, heading into a modern slab of metal and concrete, and I had a strong feeling that it went deep underground. That had to be the casino. It'd be the perfect place for the Syndicate to set up a stash house.

  As I watched, I saw a black car pull up. I didn’t recognise the number plate, but it was definitely the same type of car I’d been seeing around the Estate: an expensive German one with blacked-out windows. Another one pulled up behind it, and all four car doors opened on both cars, and out stepped eight men. Four of them had the heavy, suspicious look of security around them. All of them were dressed much better than the usual goons I tussled with. They wore expensive suits and long dark coats, with their hair slicked back and their beards sharp and well-groomed. One particular man caught my attention. He was taller than the others with dark skin and a shaved head. He moved with feline elegance and the way his eyes swept the vicinity told me he was trained, perhaps even military. He was the only one of the goons who checked out the rooftops, and I had to quickly throw myself behind a chimney to avoid detection. The man straightened his coat, and walked around to the passenger side door. He tapped on the window and the door opened.

  The man that exited was so big I visibly saw the car's suspension rise as he stepped out. He stood at least a head above his security, and what a head it was, square and dense like a cinder block. He had a high buzz cut of gingery hair, shaved so close to the sides I could see the skin of his head. His beard was more accidental coarse stubble that peppered his heavy chin and jaw. He had mean little blue eyes that promised nothing good to anyone. The man was built like a fighting dog, his shoulders were thick and well-muscled, and his traps were so big his neck was almost nonexistent. He wore a camel-colored long coat, similar to the one worn by the goon that shot me. Underneath, he had on an immaculate navy blue suit with a striped pink tie.

  The 7 other goons all fell in around him while the tall, black man took the lead. They strode to the back of the Rose of India. A private door opened for them, and two more security personnel greeted him. The ginger haired man walked through without so much as a look at any of them, and his security followed. I scampered across the roof to get a better view. They went straight into the large metal basement building.

  As the doors closed behind the man, security stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of the door. I stared at the door and knew I had finally clapped eyes on Brick, the leader of the Syndicate. I knew I had to follow him. It wasn't a choice. I needed to see what was going on in there, but how the hell was I going to get inside?

  I sat on the rooftop, pondering my bleak options, when the rain came back in. It wasn't a heavy downpour, but it was heavy enough to clear out the smoking area and some of the people who were hanging around outside the club. Even security tucked themselves in under the door arches. All I could do was shrug deeper into my hood, pondering how I was going to get in. I'd considered sneaking into the back garden and taking out the security in front of the casino. But there were cameras all over the place. As soon as I took down the guards the alarm would be raised. I didn’t relish the thought of fighting real hardened criminals, especially with a ruined shoulder. I was in no condition to take on anyone right now. No, I had to get in completely unseen, which didn't seem possible. After 10 more minutes of staring and planning I realised it was hopeless. There were no blindspots, the place was too well lit to sneak around in the shadows, and the door the two men were guarding seemed to be operated remotely by someone inside. I guess if I couldn’t get in, I would have to wait for Brick to come back out.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  I sat on the rooftop in the pouring rain for maybe an hour, my legs had gone numb and I was shivering. Finally, I saw the back doors open again, and Brick and his goons came lumbering out. They seemed to be in a rush. They stormed to their cars, jumped in, and were on the move in seconds. I was caught off guard by how quickly it happened. I ran across the rain slicked roofs determined to follow and see where they were going.

  Luckily, it wasn't a very long pursuit. They'd made their way down the Deptford main road, back into Greenwich, and from there, they went to the waterfront, where the old factories had been. That was perfect for me because there was barely any lighting here. I could easily steal across the bank of the river Thames and get up close to them. I saw four more black cars already waiting in front of an old steel warehouse. Was there some sort of meeting taking place? I'd been running full pelt down the road after them, and the only way I'd managed to keep up was because there were so many traffic lights along the way. I was breathing heavily now and feeling more tired than ever.

  I quickly jumped over a fence, then worked my way through holes in a set of bars so I could get onto the industrial estate. There were guards stationed around the entrance, but they weren't paying much attention. They seemed to be looking more at the entrance rather than from behind. Now would be my chance. If I could get into the warehouse, I might actually be able to take Brick down and put an end to all of this!

  I sat on my haunches, catching my breath and assessing the route before me. There was no way I was crossing that open space without somebody seeing me. I looked down at my belt and then clenched my jaw. I didn't have much energy left, but I thought it was the perfect time to try and use my new cloaking enchantment.

  I pulled my balaclava up and lifted the finger that I'd pricked earlier. It had scabbed over now. I bit down on it hard, my eyes filling with tears as I did, and I could taste blood. I spat it out of my mouth, lowered my balaclava again, and squeezed my finger until it welled up with blood. I focused my mind, picturing the enchantment exactly how I wanted to use it. I pressed my bloody finger to the Rune on my belt, and I saw the symbols turn black with an almost audible whoosh of air. I waited a few more seconds and then began to slowly creep out from my cover. I knew I just had to move slowly and steadily; if I panicked and ran, I would be seen. I had to trust in the enchantment and ignore my thumping heart.

  Creeping across the open ground, I stuck to the shadows around the edges of the building. The guards by the entrance stood imperiously, their eyes sweeping back and forth, but never settling on me. It seemed like they were simply ignoring me. I almost had a heart attack when it felt like one of the guards looked straight at me, but then his eyes slid right by me. Well… I might have made a mess in my shorts, but at least I knew the cloak worked. I wormed my way to the back entrance to the warehouse and saw that it was chained.

  "Shit," I cursed under my breath.

  I tried the chain, but it was solid, with a heavy padlock on it. There was no way I was getting through that. I continued around to the back of the warehouse and saw that there were long rectangular windows about 14 feet off the ground. I looked at my Magnet Runes, rubbed my palms together, and felt them come to life. There was a sudden, tangible tug on my body, as if gravity had just increased, and I realized that using two enchantments at the same time was something I'd never actually tried before. It felt like the energy was being sucked from me by a giant hoover. I had to move quickly.

  I leaped as high as I could, stuck to the side of the corrugated metal warehouse wall, and began pulling myself up. Pain thundered through my injured shoulder. I cried out and lost my concentration. Both Runes deactivated at the same time. Only the Magnet Rune on my right palm stayed active. I was hanging by one hand from the back of the warehouse, completely visible, and biting my knuckle to stop from screaming out. In all the excitement I’d forgotten just how badly ruined my shoulder was.

  I blinked tears out of my eyes and looked up. Those windows were the only way I was getting into the warehouse. I clenched my jaw, focused through the searing heat of the pain and stuck my right hand back to the wall. I couldn’t use it to pull myself up but I could use it to hold myself in place, just about. It was kind of like climbing a set of stairs but with only one leg doing the actual climbing.

  Slowly, and with tremendous concentration and will, I pulled myself upwards. I was sweating and shaking by the time I managed to get to the window. They were those big seesaw type windows. It pushed open under my touch, and I dragged myself over the lip into the warehouse. It was a massive warehouse. Even though it was disused, it still seemed to be full of all sorts of detritus of commercial enterprise, including those giant racks you needed forklifts to get things down from. They provided the perfect cover for me to sneak in.

  I was breathing deeply, desperately trying to get wind back into my body. I swallowed hard and tried to carefully massage life back into my numb arm. I could hear voices from somewhere in the middle of the warehouse floor. Slowly, I crept forward. I glanced down at the enchantment on my belt but I knew I didn’t have the energy or the focus to activate it again, so I stuck to the shadows and made sure to move carefully.

  There they were: the illusive heads of the Syndicate only feet from me. And there was Brick, sitting with his back to me. This was my chance! I could end it here and now!