Birthright (The Technomage Archive, Book 1)

  ***

  The moment when Damien Vennar sought out and destroyed the nanotechnology in his visitor’s pass, Ennd’s security system initialized. He had been noticed the moment the last nanite had been eliminated. One moment, Vennar had been in a hallway that led to the Phase II student dormitories; the next, he had disappeared from sensors, and Phase II’s defenses were activated.

  Ennd's Academy rarely had a security breach. Students, faculty, and visitors were each tagged with unique molecular stamps that told sensors placed in various locations which areas of campus each person had access to. It was a system that worked and rarely malfunctioned. In fact, all simulations showed there being a zero-percent chance of a true security breach.

  The administration of Ennd’s Academy had always prided themselves on being able to meld utility and aesthetics. Part of this ambition was maintaining large galleries of artwork throughout each area of the school. Many wings had themes that highlighted various artistic styles and cultures that made up the student population of the Academy.

  The artwork was also the first line of defense in the event of a security breach.

  The sandstone and steel walls of Phase II shook as the statues that lined its halls came to life. Jackal-headed Annuban golems rose from their thrones and stood roughly twice the height of a person. Their stone axes shimmered as the nanites that made up their structure reassembled themselves from decoration to actual weaponry. Horrith golems awakened, too, and dust fell from the falcon-headed statues, as clawed fingers flexed and wrapped around thick staves that crackled with blue-white electric current. Arcs of energy spiraled up and down the length of the weapons.

  Like soldiers forming ranks, the sentries gathered in the center of the hallway as the resuscitation cycle completed. The detail did not speak. They did not interact. Once their initial systems checks were finished, they moved in unison, a single unit with a single goal: secure Ennd’s Academy.

  Sensors fed the golems the last known location of their target. The Annuban and Horrith golems’ eyes flashed with power as they synced their directives and moved to intercept and eliminate Damien Vennar.