Page 79 of Magick and Lead
It was a blur. Grabbing our gear. Mounting the motorcycle. Cutting through the fields and out the back lane. Driving back from the farm to the city along obscure back roads in order to avoid the spooks who were after us.
All the while, as we blazed down those winding back roads among forests and fields, I had been hyper-aware of Essa’s arm around my waist. Would she ever hold me like this again, once this was over? Would she ever be this close to me again? I wanted to veer off, to take a wrong turn and drive forever if only that would keep her here, so close I could feel the rise and fall of her chest against my back with every breath. And yet, there was no avoiding what waited before us, approaching with every revolution of the motorcycle’s wheels, every tick of the watch on my wrist. Tonight, we would face Kortoi. And then, I would know once and for all what Essa’s feelings for me were. If I’d destroyed everything between us with my lies—or not.
It was strange… I was about to break into a highly fortified place filled with elite guards ready to kill any intruder with a single squeeze of their trigger. And yet, the only thing that filled me with dread was the thought of watching Essa mount Othura and disappear into the sky forever—without me.
I’m a fool,I thought.And a damned sap.
And yet, I would not have traded places with any other man. Not for all the money in the world.
Finally, after a trip made much longer by the circuitous route we’d taken, we hit the honking, jerking snarl of city traffic and ground our way through it to the Potholder District where The Mint sat.
We found a little café with outdoor seating across the river from The Mint and ordered a late lunch while we scoped the place out. There wasn’t much to see. The Mint was a sturdy brick building, three stories tall, part of which was cantilevered out over the river with a deck overlooking the water. The old wooden beams that supported it ran down to the river bottom and had been supplemented at some point with additional beams of steel. But that was all we could see from here. Getting in was going to be a challenge. And?—
“All the gods!” Essa exclaimed, and I looked over to find her mouth full, her eyes wide with wonder. “What did you call this?”
She brandished the bun-clad meat stick in her hand.
“It’s a hot dog,” I said.
She stared down at it. “And the twin sauces?”
“Ketchup and mustard,” I laughed.
She shook her head in wonder. “It’s exquisite. I have to introduce these back in Maethalia,” she held up the hot dog, examining it. “How are they made?”
I chuckled. “You don’t want to know.”
“With machines?” She frowned.
“I’m afraid so.”
She shook her head mournfully. “Well. At least I can enjoy it while I’m here…”
I nodded back toward The Mint. “So, about this mission...”
“Yes,” Essa said, wiping her fingers daintily on a napkin. “Othura will slip out of the tunnels as soon as it gets dark, make her way to the river, and swim here.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Nobody’s going to notice a dragon back-stroking through the city?”
“Librans love to swim, and Othura can hold her breath and swim underwater for ages. The river looks deep enough that she should be able to make her way here without being seen.”
I nodded. “Okay. Next question, how do we get under the building?”
“We could climb down those rocks along the shore and go under the deck?”
I pointed. “Except for those guys. See them?”
“Of course,” she nodded and recited, without looking: “Two black-suited gunmen on top of a building to the left of The Mint, another on the rooftop to the right. And three more of them on the deck.”
“Nice,” I said. “There are a few on this side of the river, too, I’m sure. I just haven’t spotted them yet…”
She nodded off to our left, where a church stood.
“There. In the bell tower. I saw them as we arrived.”
I smiled. “Good reminder not to underestimate the observational powers of a Skrathan…”
“Indeed,” she said. “So… simply climbing down the rocks is out. We’ll have to get under there in the same way as Othura. By swimming underwater.”
