Except here, apparently. He watched me without expression.
“Sorry, I interrupted your answer,” I said. Anything to get him talking. If he was going to be like this going forward, it was going to be one boring evening. I’d have to do all the talking.
“To answer the first question—discovering the cause of these particular outbreaks is important, and thus worth the time and effort. We wouldn’t be assigned this if it wasn’t important.”
I stifled a smirk. He was definitely a newbie to R.U.N.E. Any veteran knew time was wasted all the time on behalf of the outfit.
“How about your specialty?” I asked. A glimmer of interest flickered across Farlance’s face. Directors—always evaluating you.
“Seer.”
I nearly slapped my forehead. Duh. I guess literally dropping into chaos had scrambled my brains a bit. Naturally Farlance would pair me with a Seer if he could. Tully just looked way too physical to be a Seer. They observed, and traced the patterns of magic and mana. Seers could see the true nature of the supernatural. I could see the outlines, the shapes, but they saw the essence. I figured Tully would be a spell slinger, an Invoker, the kind that manipulated the raw power of magic for direct and highly energetic results, not a Seer, but there it was.
The van pulled up to a worn-looking brick building which looked like an old garage from the outside. I didn’t remember there being a teleportal located here, but that just went to show I didn’t know all of them, even in Portland.
Farlance and his team piled out, Tully and I following behind. One of the suits gestured, creating a faint flash of golden light. The garage door rolled up. Lights came on, revealing a small SUV, two modern sedans, and an ancient Lincoln Continental, painted brown, with a battered vinyl top.
I whistled. “That is a very old boat, I mean, vehicle. Is it even still legal, given all the gunk it spews into the atmosphere? Assuming it’s even drivable.”
Farlance smiled. “It is. It’s your ride for tonight.”
I winced. “You’re kidding, right?”
His smile widened. “Not when it comes to cars.”
“But why this junker?” I pointed at the black BMW sedan parked next to it. “Why not that?” The newer model Ford would work in a pinch, too. “I’m not even sure why R.U.N.E. still has this in the collection.”
Tully actually spoke up. “It’s well grounded, magic-wise. The lack of electronics allows for better spellcasting.”
I waved dismissively. “Whatever. It looks like a crime against all things motorized.”
Farlance raised an eyebrow in a “really?” expression.
“I’d rather take the van,” I muttered. “The thing’s ancient.”
“Which helps even more than the lack of electronics,” Tully replied. “Its age connects it to the world in a way a modern car isn’t.”
“He’s right,” Farlance said approvingly, which didn’t help. “Much less interference for his Seer sorcery.”
Then, I spotted a thing of mechanical beauty parked by a wall.
A Ducati motorcycle, painted black. Now that was my kind of transport.
“If we took the van we could take that with us,” I said.
“Absolutely not,” Farlance said.
“Gives us a second transport option in a pinch.” Okay, it gave one of us a second option, namely me, but the van would be useful, too, not just because of the Ducati.
“The Ducati is off-limits.” Farlance wasn’t smiling any more. One of the burners stifled a laugh.
Clearly, I’d touched a nerve. “Well, how about the van then? Yeah, it’s big for two, but so is the Continental, and we know the van runs.”
“You’re making me pull rank on you, Elizabeth, but you and Tully will take the Lincoln. We’re having the van driven to Seattle.” As he spoke, his team loaded the van with iron-bound oak chests, potions, and bundled items. The air glowed silver even to my limited arcane sight, enough artifacts to start an arcane war.
Or end one.
I shivered at the thought. If R.U.N.E. needed the van driven up north, things were even worse than I’d thought. Much worse. The urge to join them filled me. Tully even looked reluctant, assuming I read him correctly. Which, having only known him for less than an hour, was a stab in the dark.
The team finished loading the van, then two of the suits got back in and drove off. The rest of Farlance’s team assembled by an old wooden door in a shadowy corner of the garage. The teleportal, hidden in plain sight. If non-arcane, ordinary people opened it, they’d find a tiny room filled with old auto parts. Only sorcerers and wizards could see teleportals, and even more importantly, use them.
The two burners went first, disappearing through the doorway. The Seattle end of the teleportal showed an alleyway. I recognized a corner of Pike’s Place, the perfect juncture for teleportals from other cities, like Portland. There were others in Seattle, of course, but that was an excellent assembly point.
Farlance was the last to go. He turned to Tully and me. “I wish you two could join us.”
“So do I,” I blurted. Tully nodded stoically.
“I hope I’m leaving you two with just a simple investigation, but it might be more than that.” He paused, obviously thinking. “I don’t have any hard evidence, but I suspect the outbreaks might be a diversion. I wish I had a sentinel on duty, but our local one, Therese Sprig, is on medical leave. Still, she might be available. Tully has the address.”
I nodded.
“Good luck,” I told Farlance. I felt a sudden impulse to hug him, which I barely managed to resist.
“You, too,” he said, and stepped into the teleportal. It was like watching someone disappear into a heat mirage. His body appeared warped and then disappeared. The shining silver-lit corridor remained for a minute longer. It would be so easy to follow Farlance. But I only had one teleportal trip left before dawn, because of the rules of magic, and, besides, orders were orders.
A moment later the corridor vanished, revealing the tiny room beyond the door, crammed with old auto parts. I
