“This is the only way.” Emery stopped next to Penny and looked out over the field. “Lucifer showed up at the castle demanding answers, and left unhappy. Those elves weren’t being coy to protect their secrets—they didn’t have answers. They’ll be as stirred up as an anthill after a kid comes through with a stick. What we saw last time will be nothing, I guarantee it.”
“Did you hammer that home to Mr. Magical Policeman?” I pointed at Romulus. “He still tends to think the best of people for some reason.”
Emery’s lips pressed together tightly. He gave a curt nod.
“Ah.” I shook out my hands and faced the field as well. What else did I have to look at? “The all-powerful and important Second seems to think his position will protect us all.”
“He seems to think so, yes.” Emery lowered his voice. “He’s been gone a long time. He’s going to get a rude awakening.”
As someone who’d been hunted for years, Emery would know. He’d seen the underbelly of the Realm and all the problems caused by the people in charge.
This situation was starting to look up.
“Who is…?” Penny squinted through the darkness and then put a hand up to block an absent sun. “Do you see that?”
“We got something,” the sour-faced woman barked, planting her feet shoulder distance apart.
Darius, one of two who could see in the dark, turned and peered into the night. I followed suit, pulling Penny’s hand out of the air to keep her from looking ridiculous. That’s what friends were for.
Two shapes moved through the night, tramping over the weeds, one of them jerking as though it had tripped.
The sky lit up, accompanied by a bug-zapper-type sound. Charity’s magical sun.
Darius shrank away, and I sent a peal of air to punch Charity in the face. Her head snapped back before she dropped like a sack of bricks. Devon bristled, turning toward me with his arms pushed away from his sides and murder in his eyes. The sun clicked off.
“‘At ease, disease,’” I quoted, and wondered if anyone would get the G.I. Joe reference. “We have a vampire in our midst. Watch what magic you use.”
I sent a blanket of fire crawling through the sky. Flickering light sifted down to illuminate the two forms doggedly coming our way. I groaned.
“What are they doing here?” Penny asked.
“They never seem to understand ‘you can’t come’ applies to them.” I let the fire crackle above Callie and Dizzy as they neared, sweat beading on their brows from exertion and heat, each of them carrying a backpack and a satchel. Callie wore a lime-green sweat suit with two stars on the chest. I was pretty sure those stars were supposed to be in the nipple region of someone whose breasts weren’t yet on a downward trajectory.
“Why did you choose a gate way out here?” Callie demanded, breathing heavily.
“You have to go back,” Penny said, shaking her head. “This is going to be incredibly dangerous—”
“Wrong approach,” I murmured.
“We’re going to be walking for days. Maybe running,” Penny amended.
I nodded. That was the better deterrent. The dual-mages were in their sixties. They could hold up their end of the bargain when it came to magic, but they weren’t big into hardcore exercising. Or any exercising.
“I have a duty to that girl’s mother.” Callie pointed at me, and I knew better than to slap her hand out of my face. “Amorette gave up everything so her only daughter could have a chance. She might be gone, but Dizzy and I have picked up the torch. Besides…” Callie took a deep breath and adjusted the straps of her backpack. “Someone has to fix her up if she blows off her eyebrows. She can’t go meeting the elves looking like a Q-tip.”
“She does have a point.” I nodded. I had a horrible habit of burning off my eyebrows. It wasn’t exactly a good look.
“Missus Banks, Mister Banks, so nice to see you.” Romulus gave them a pleasant smile. “Do you need a rest before we continue?”
Callie waved him away. “I don’t need any special treatment.”
“Fantastic.” He looked over the group as everyone clustered together, Darius returning to my side. We’d worked out his anger issues the day before, and now he slipped his arm around my waist. I felt nervousness swirling through the bond we shared. He clearly shared Emery’s skepticism about our likely reception. “Charity and I will step through the gate first. After that, those strongest in power will follow. The weakest will go last, followed by Roger, as is the shifter way.” His gaze hit me. “You will walk through with Darius and Halvor, in the middle.” Romulus flicked his hand, indicating the assassin-looking guy he called his assistant. “This is both to—”
I waved him away. “Sounds good. Let’s get to it.”
Given the political situation, the gate will almost certainly be guarded. All of them will be. Try not to use your magic, Darius thought at me as everyone geared up. Let Romulus handle things. Let him do the talking.