Read Online Motor City Mage by Cindy Spencer Pape - Free Book Online
Authors: Cindy Spencer Pape
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to make you the fall guy—given your, um, family relations with the pointy-eared types.”
Damn it all. That couldn’t be allowed. Not the destruction of Underhill—they had friends in that world, too—and definitely not Des taking the blame for it.
“So, Vindelius, what’s your plan?” Des’s shoulders drooped as he reached down and rubbed Lana’s hand. She wondered if he even knew he was doing it.
“I can sneak you in tonight as a new dealer,” Vin said. “I assume you can use magic to smell like an addict. Brewer is meeting there with Malen tonight. We push them both through, and then you blow the portal. Mopping up the worker bees shouldn’t be too hard once you get rid of the boss and his two prime lieutenants.”
“One of whom is you?”
Vin nodded. “And the other is human.”
“Even if we blow up the portal, what keeps your boy Mandrake from just opening a new one?” Des still wasn’t buying it.
“He doesn’t have the power.” Vin shrugged. “Believe me or don’t. But why do you think there aren’t more of us here? It takes a fucking powerful mage to open one, much less a permanent version. Nivri was that strong. Malen isn’t.”
That made sense. Only a few Wyndewin in the world could open even a temporary portal. Des had never heard of a human mage who could set a permanent one.
The cell phone in Des’s pocket began to buzz. He pulled his hand away from Lana and looked at the screen. “My boss,” he said. “Think I should answer it?”
“Let it go to voice mail,” Lana suggested. “You knew a while ago that something was wrong in the League, when you were sent out of town by ‘mistake’ when Dina was kidnapped.”
Des nodded, though she could see new lines of strain around his eyes and his skin was a full shade paler than when he’d come in. “Okay, Vin. Looks like you’re giving me a tour of the salt mines.”
“Us,” Lana said. “You aren’t going anywhere without backup, pal.”
“We could call some others…” Des began.
“Storming the front gate is a bad idea,” Vin said. “Too many early warning systems and plenty of workers who mine the salt. Did you know salt is incredibly rare on Gravaki? And with just minor modifications, is addictive to my people? And here you are, sitting on piles and piles of it.” He pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. “Here’s the spell for blowing up portals. You might want to memorize that on the way there.”
Des tried to talk Lana out of coming, even to the point of threatening to call her cousins, but she stood her ground. “I don’t care if you call my mother . I’m not letting you walk in there by yourself. A dim, half-drunk girlfriend will draw a whole lot less attention than another burly guy. And you know I can handle myself.”
“Can Gravaki see through invisibility spells?” Des asked Vin as they walked out to the street.
Vin shrugged. “Some. Again, if you tried bringing in an army, I’d say yes. One small shape? Not unless we’re actively looking for it. If she goes in as an invisible wolf, odds are no one’s going to see her until she bites them on the ass. Even if they do, nobody will pay any attention. There are a few stray dogs who wander through open tunnels. One of my cousin’s first workers there had the bright idea of bringing them down to act as watchdogs. Since we don’t have dogs on Gravaki, most of the workers consider them a novelty and sneak them food and water now and then.”
And so Des found himself driving with Vin in the front seat while Lana stripped and shifted in the back. He still didn’t like the idea of her going along, but he was glad she’d be in wolf form, if she had to be there at all. As he drove, he committed the words of the spell to memory.
All the old entrances to the salt mines beneath Detroit had been sealed, except for those few areas still in operation. The entrance Vin directed Des to was well away from the modern headquarters, a small
Damn it all. That couldn’t be allowed. Not the destruction of Underhill—they had friends in that world, too—and definitely not Des taking the blame for it.
“So, Vindelius, what’s your plan?” Des’s shoulders drooped as he reached down and rubbed Lana’s hand. She wondered if he even knew he was doing it.
“I can sneak you in tonight as a new dealer,” Vin said. “I assume you can use magic to smell like an addict. Brewer is meeting there with Malen tonight. We push them both through, and then you blow the portal. Mopping up the worker bees shouldn’t be too hard once you get rid of the boss and his two prime lieutenants.”
“One of whom is you?”
Vin nodded. “And the other is human.”
“Even if we blow up the portal, what keeps your boy Mandrake from just opening a new one?” Des still wasn’t buying it.
“He doesn’t have the power.” Vin shrugged. “Believe me or don’t. But why do you think there aren’t more of us here? It takes a fucking powerful mage to open one, much less a permanent version. Nivri was that strong. Malen isn’t.”
That made sense. Only a few Wyndewin in the world could open even a temporary portal. Des had never heard of a human mage who could set a permanent one.
The cell phone in Des’s pocket began to buzz. He pulled his hand away from Lana and looked at the screen. “My boss,” he said. “Think I should answer it?”
“Let it go to voice mail,” Lana suggested. “You knew a while ago that something was wrong in the League, when you were sent out of town by ‘mistake’ when Dina was kidnapped.”
Des nodded, though she could see new lines of strain around his eyes and his skin was a full shade paler than when he’d come in. “Okay, Vin. Looks like you’re giving me a tour of the salt mines.”
“Us,” Lana said. “You aren’t going anywhere without backup, pal.”
“We could call some others…” Des began.
“Storming the front gate is a bad idea,” Vin said. “Too many early warning systems and plenty of workers who mine the salt. Did you know salt is incredibly rare on Gravaki? And with just minor modifications, is addictive to my people? And here you are, sitting on piles and piles of it.” He pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. “Here’s the spell for blowing up portals. You might want to memorize that on the way there.”
Des tried to talk Lana out of coming, even to the point of threatening to call her cousins, but she stood her ground. “I don’t care if you call my mother . I’m not letting you walk in there by yourself. A dim, half-drunk girlfriend will draw a whole lot less attention than another burly guy. And you know I can handle myself.”
“Can Gravaki see through invisibility spells?” Des asked Vin as they walked out to the street.
Vin shrugged. “Some. Again, if you tried bringing in an army, I’d say yes. One small shape? Not unless we’re actively looking for it. If she goes in as an invisible wolf, odds are no one’s going to see her until she bites them on the ass. Even if they do, nobody will pay any attention. There are a few stray dogs who wander through open tunnels. One of my cousin’s first workers there had the bright idea of bringing them down to act as watchdogs. Since we don’t have dogs on Gravaki, most of the workers consider them a novelty and sneak them food and water now and then.”
And so Des found himself driving with Vin in the front seat while Lana stripped and shifted in the back. He still didn’t like the idea of her going along, but he was glad she’d be in wolf form, if she had to be there at all. As he drove, he committed the words of the spell to memory.
All the old entrances to the salt mines beneath Detroit had been sealed, except for those few areas still in operation. The entrance Vin directed Des to was well away from the modern headquarters, a small
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