Page 43 of Guild Boss

Lucy had spent enough time in the ancient metropolis to know that the structure in which they were sheltering offered life-saving protection. But no quartz wall could protect them from all of the senses-rattling effects of the storm.

Audio hallucinations whispered and howled in the alley on the other side of the quicksilver door. It was as if the specters of the vanished Aliens were shrieking at the humans, pleading with them, begging them to open the gate and let them inside.

Gabriel tightened his grip on Lucy’s hand. She leaned against his chest, pressing close. He put an arm around her.Nothing personal,she told herself. Physical contact was standard operating procedure for situations like this. Two auras were stronger than one. Three were even better. Otis’s small but powerful energy field added another level of protection.

The wailing became more fearsome. The ghosts were no longer pleading; they were demanding entrance. The door shivered and shimmered and trembled, but it did not give way.

An eternity that was, in reality, more like five minutes passed. The howling abruptly fell silent.

Lucy realized she was still crushed against Gabriel’s chest, his armwrapped tightly around her. Their hands were still clasped. It felt good to be this close to him. It felt right.

After a moment, Otis fluffed up and chortled. He bounced down to the floor and immediately set about exploring the empty chamber.

“I like his attitude,” Gabriel said. “Deal with the problem when it hits the top of your to-do list. Forget about it as soon as it’s over.”

“Humans probably spend way too much time dwelling on what could happen and what almost happened,” Lucy said. “Then we worry about what might happen next.”

“That’s a good description of my job,” Gabriel said.

“Mine, too.”

Lucy discovered she did not want him to let her go. The fantasies she had allowed herself to indulge in during the last two months whispered to her. She had to concentrate in order to make herself face reality.

Not good. Not smart. You’ve got a job to do. That’s why he came looking for you. He needs your professional skills.

With a small sigh she stepped back. Gabriel released her, but she thought he did so with some reluctance. Probably wishful thinking.

“Never a dull moment in the Ghost City,” she said, going for a cool, professional vibe. “It should be safe outside now. I’ll go first to check the weather.”

“Right.” Gabriel studied the locator. “According to this, we should be very close to the doll.”

Tentatively, Lucy focused a little energy on the quicksilver barrier. It dissolved. She stepped out into the alley. The fog that ebbed and flowed through the streets of the Ghost City was once again calm. Otis rushed after her, ready for the next stage of the adventure. Gabriel followed, once again checking the locator readout.

“To the left,” he said. He took out his flamer. “Next intersection.”

She glanced at the weapon. “Do you think we’re going to run into that kind of trouble?”

“I doubt it,” Gabriel said. “If anyone else had found the clockwork toy it would be long gone. No one, including bad guys, can hang around the Ghost City for more than a few hours at a time. The paranormal environment is too harsh. That’s why Coppersmith is running several crews a day in short shifts. Why they set up the mining camp on the other side of the portal in the Rainforest instead of inside this place.”

“I heard they are working on vehicles and equipment that can protect the miners.”

“If any company can find a way to turn a profit down here, it’s Coppersmith. But I’m told it’s been one major technical problem after another. Here we go. Left again.”

They turned the corner into another narrow lane. The fog elsewhere in the city had been light, but now they faced a wall of gray mist. It was so thick that Lucy could no longer make out the buildings on the other side of the lane. She could barely see her own boots.

Otis had disappeared into the ghostly atmosphere, but she heard him chortling. Every so often he popped out of the luminous gray fog long enough to show her a new chunk of quartz. She had no idea why some of the pebbles and crystals caught his fancy and others did not. They all looked pretty much the same to her—murky and gray.

“Hmm,” she said. She stopped and pulled the pendant out from under her shirt. “The stone in this necklace is amber, but the color is almost identical to the gray quartz here in this sector.”

Gabriel studied the pendant for a brief moment. “Same color, all right, but I haven’t heard of any amber deposits being discovered in the Ghost City. We’ll ask the experts at the mining camp about it when we leave.”

“All right.”

She dropped the pendant back under the shirt.

Gabriel consulted his locator again. “We’re very close now. On the right.”

This time he took the lead, flamer leveled. They made their way across the narrow passageway, guided by the locator. Sensing that it was time for serious work, Otis scurried out of the fog and joined Gabriel.

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