It wasn't long before the others emerged from the lab. At least it seemed that way for the time Anastasia passed masturbating.
Eva was talking with her brothers, complaining to them about the organization and handwriting of his Zarron's notes. He was disorganized but only other wizards had any chance to make any sense of them anyway.
One of the Duos was brazenly staring at her behind as she walked. Were they all so horny? How long would it be before that boiled over? Was it a risk to her plan? What could she do about it if it was?
Ana counted them off: Eva. Duayne at her side, like always. Nine Duos. She only recognized the one she'd talked to by his newfound swagger. They passed through the room. That was all of them.
The lab was empty.
Anastasia waited until all of their voices had faded away into the second floor and another long moment to be sure. She pushed through the door and hurried back towards the basement. Along the way she eyed the large planter nearest the teleportation seal, behind which her sack of stolen magic and components was still stashed.
As fast as she safely could, she descended the stairs again, through the doorway and straight for the jar preserving her mother's unfertilized eggs. If the Duos failed, Zarron would resume production of more children and likely, Zentalia could too. The jar would also be the easiest thing to carry.
The lab itself was well-warded like the library but he had not gone back to exclude her from the exceptions. To be doubly-sure, she hunched forward and scanned for any new magical protections. There were none though it had Zarron's residual trace on it, presumably from their work earlier in the day.
She reached out for the jar and eased her fingers around it. No traps. No wards. She picked it up.
Holding it aloft, she paused and allowed herself a heavy sigh, then inspected it. Was it that simple to put a stop to all of this? It was noticably less full than it was a year ago, odd for how few eggs were incubating. Perhaps in his rage or lack of focus over her departure, he had spilled some.
It didn't matter now. She had it! A thousand or more remaining, potential siblings, spared from whatever fate Zarron's buyers would decide.
She turned and walked to the incubator and the eleven, full-sized, rune-painted eggs in it.
She rubbed her cheek and considered the options. The eggs in the pool needed the nutrient fluid to survive. Once in the incubator, they relied on the uninterrupted heat at least until they were nearly ready. Some of them might be mature enough to save but there was no way to tell from the outside, without knowing when they were made. The newer ledger pages confirmed that three of them were older than the other eight and nearly ready to hatch but there was no way to see from the outside which was which.
Seeing through the shells however, would tell her.
Anastasia set down the jar on the edge of the incubator and took several steps away for safety. Teenage years spent in Zarron's lab made her very aware how easily she knocked things off of countertops.
With a broad gesture of both hands that ended in her covering her eyes with her palms, she muttered ancient Words of Power to cast the spell "Sight Beyond." It was one she learned while she was younger but hadn't had much practical use for until she was helping her mother surveil locations before they would sneak in together.
"Sight Beyond" saw past the outer layers of things to reveal what was behind. It wasn't effective past thick stone and couldn't see beyond ferrous metals at all. For egg shells it was overkill but because it was a spell that manipulated light instead of actively projecting, it was a passive magic effect that would not endanger the fetuses.
She pulled her palms away and her eyes glowed with a golden yellow. It would work until she blinked again. Within the eggs as expected were eleven developing fetuses, eight of them the same, immature age of just over six months. The remaining three were also the same size as each other and from a different visit eight months ago, as they were almost fully mature
She stepped into the heat of the incubator and paced among the eggs, considering her options. The teleportation runes could be broken with a scratch of her fingernail. The paint on them was still fresh enough to smell. That would stop their delivery, at least until Zarron's next visit, which should be his final one.
Scanning over them she found the shortest path between them then moved from egg to egg, scratching a line in the paint of each to break the magic. A fizzle of ozone confirming each rune rendered inert. It was likely that an angry customer with a missed delivery might return before Zarron. Eva could handle that if it happened and if not, the Duos would. She finished the job.
It was hard to imagine any of them would allow more of their sisters and brothers to be sold off but she concluded it would be best to take the three mature ones with her for their safety. If only she could carry them. She still had an overstuffed bag to deal with.
