Read Online Lupi 04 - Night Season by authors_sort - Free Book Online Page A

Under-whatever.
    Cullen decided it would be easier to keep a grip on his temper if he ignored the man, so he did.
    Fagin blinked sleepily, looking like an aging refugee from the sixties. “Why, if those three come from a high-magic realm—and they do—we have no idea what they might be able to do, magically.”
    â€œWhy do you believe they come from a high-magic realm?”
    Stupidity was so hard to ignore. Cullen managed not to roll his eyes. “They got here, didn’t they?”
    On the screen, Cynna had moved closer to the gnome. Gan was saying something. Then the councilor spoke.
    Damn, but he hated watching remotely this way. He couldn’t smell them, couldn’t see any of the energies involved. Bet he could hear them, though, if he moved closer to the tech guy with the headphones.
    â€œExactly.” Fagin beamed at him. “Assuming their arrival was purposeful—”
    One of the other men broke in. “What do you mean?”
    â€œWe’ve recently seen many examples of creatures crossing accidentally, haven’t we? Fairies, brownies, gremlins, even banshees were blown in on the power winds during the Turning. But these visitors arrived without that impetus, and Gan was expecting them. This argues that they did come here intentionally, using a gate, as the councilor claims. This means we’re dealing with a culture that’s quite sophisticated magically.”
    â€œAnd has plenty of power available,” Lily added. “Gates gobble power.”
    â€œVery true. There’s also the shield spell itself, of course.”
    â€œBreak that conclusion down for the rest of us, please,” Brooks said.
    Or just shut up. That would be better. Even with his hearing, Cullen was hard-pressed to listen in on the tech guy’s headphones with all the chatter in the room. Couldn’t any of them think for themselves long enough to see the obvious?
    â€œOur knowledge of other realms is largely theoretical,” Fagin began, “since interrealm travel has been impossible since before the Purge—impossible for humans, that is. Some of the Fae have always been able to cross, though they chose not to. And imps or demons have crossed from time to time, although—”
    Brooks spoke dryly. “Fagin, we aren’t in class. I believe everyone here is aware of conditions prior to the Turning.”
    â€œOf course. The point I was wandering toward is that desert dwellers do not develop shipbuilding capabilities. Due to our relative dearth of magic, we’ve had no need for shields and haven’t hung on to that knowledge. Their realm, apparently, does have a need.”
    â€œThat makes sense,” said one of the men Cullen didn’t know. He looked at Cullen. “I understand you know something about gates, Mr. Seabourne.”
    Cullen twitched one shoulder in an impatient shrug. “Something. Theoretical knowledge, of course,” he added in his first lie of the day. Three months ago he’d assisted in making a hellgate, but since that was even more illegal than being a sorcerer, he wasn’t planning to add it to his résumé.
    â€œThese, ah, people arrived at a node. Is that typical?”
    â€œFor a gate? It’s necessary. Nodes are the points of greatest physical and temporal congruence. Also, you need the power. Like Lily said, gates gobble power.”
    â€œSo you believe the councilor created a gate to come here.”
    â€œAh…no. Is he claiming he did it alone? Gate building is a team effort. Even the dragons have to work together to do it.”
    â€œDragons? Do you mean they…what are you doing ?”
    Cullen had yanked the headphones off the tech guy’s head and was holding them close to his ear.
    On one screen, the inky tracery on Cynna’s face stood out in sharp relief against her sudden pallor. He saw her throat work as she swallowed. From the headphones came the thread of her voice