“Right,” I agreed. “Exotic locales, here we come.”
* * *
Even with the trip to Target, my available clothing options were... not really high-end Caribbean cruise material. But, for better or worse, fifteen minutes later I was standing in the kitchen with Rans and the others, luggage in hand. It was packed with a selection of old and new belongings, everything from my sad little collection of family photos to travel-sized toiletries I’d purchased earlier in the evening.
Albigard portaled us to the nearest place where a ley-line ran through. I was struck by how little the idea of abandoning his home seemed to affect Guthrie. He barely gave the posh surroundings of the penthouse apartment a second look as he passed through the magical gateway. I wondered how many other homes he’d walked away from in the long decades since he’d stopped aging thanks to a demon’s curse.
The three of us were carrying what I considered to be a truly staggering amount of cash, taken from a wall safe in the hall that was hidden behind a tasteful piece of artwork. I now had in my possession a money clip containing more money than I’d ever held in my hand at one time... by about a factor of ten.
In addition to US dollars, I also had a stash of Euros and another of British Pounds. It made me feel like I had a giant target painted on my back, which was fairly ridiculous given the large number of people who already wanted me dead. I also had a concealed dagger in each boot—one made of salt and one made of iron. Between that and my succubus abilities, muggings probably shouldn’t have been my first concern.
Unlike the ley-line I’d visited in Chicago, this one was in a clearing surrounded by trees and undergrowth. I had no idea where we were; there were any number of such places in eastern Missouri and they all pretty much looked the same. I’d have to remember to check myself for ticks later on.
A crescent moon shone down on us, limning everything in silver. The humidity was stifling. I watched as Albigard cleared a space and gestured us into it. And I didn’t complain a bit when Rans wrapped an arm around me from behind for the journey. Travel by portal was pretty disconcerting, but travel by ley-line was on par with stepping off a cliff into pitch darkness.
The Fae crouched and settled his right palm flat against the ground. Light flared, surrounding the four of us, and we were off. It was just as bad as I remembered, but at least this time Rans was with me and I wasn’t purposely jetting off to an appointment with near-certain death, as I had been last time. No—this time I was, by all accounts, jetting off to a tropical vacation, albeit one that might at some point be interrupted by any of our numerous enemies.
Hopefully, Rans’ theory about Myrial and Nigellus was right, and we’d be left alone long enough to regroup, at the very least. The last few days had been... a lot.
We staggered back to reality inside the ruins of something huge. The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten with the promise of the dawn to come, but our surroundings were still largely in darkness. Unlike before, however, there was a city around us, visible through gaps in the massive structure.
“The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption,” Albigard said in a dry tone. “Or, rather, what’s left of it after an earthquake several years ago.”
I looked at the arches and ruined towers around us with new eyes, seeing how it might have once been a cathedral. While it looked like some efforts at stabilization and reconstruction were underway, it still seemed a fitting place for vampires and Fae to haunt in the early morning darkness.
“Wow,” I said, taking in my surroundings as best I could. Enchanted, I drew in a deep breath—only to realize that might have been a mistake when my nose was assaulted by the smell of rotting fish, burning trash, and open sewers.
In contrast to my combination of awe and ‘eww,’ Guthrie appeared unaffected by our surroundings. He readjusted his bag on his shoulder and turned to Albigard. “Can you get us to the airport from here, or do we need to find a car?”
“I’ve been there before. No need for a car,” Albigard said, and cast a portal. “Come.”
Guthrie gave the glowing circle a long look, then shook his head and stepped through. Rans and I followed. The disorientation was considerably less than I felt when using ley-lines, but the Fae-ness of the magic involved still prickled at me like tiny needles.
We stepped into... an empty field. Disoriented, I turned on the spot, and was relieved to see a collection of bright lights and buildings nearby—presumably, the airport. That was confirmed a moment later by the roar of a plane overhead, low and getting closer.
“We’ll want the general aviation building,” Rans said. “Too much security at the main terminal.”
I was honestly surprised at how little security was involved as we trekked toward the lights, bags in hand. My experience of airports was admittedly limited, but it had involved quite a bit of waiting around at checkpoints and in security lines. I’d sort of assumed that this whole place would be ringed with chainlink and barbed wire, a fortress against shadowy terrorists.
Port-au-Prince’s airport was... not like that.
Instead, it was a collection of really big buildings, really big parking lots full of really small planes, and a runway. Surrounded by fields. That was it.
The first hint of useful light was finally creeping over the horizon, as morning made itself welcome on the island. Albigard stopped for a moment to get his bearings, and pointed to a building considerably less prepossessing than the glass-and-concrete passenger terminal. The giant rolling doors were open,
