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Fuck. Who was that? Why do I feel like I’ve been jolted with electricity?
“Don’t ever buy from people like him,” Razai advised. “While there are legitimate mages operating in the Underground, he’s not one of them.”
I didn’t have any good reason to turn back and find that woman again. Besides, how would I even explain it to Razai?
Hey, there was a creepy lady in the dark room behind the creepy old man, and I want to have a chat?
No. I’d have to just ignore her for now. It was probably nothing. Wrenching my attention back to him, I asked, “How can you tell?”
“He deals in the type of spells that give short-term but severe effects. Elixirs that make you feel on top of the world. Invincible. Others make you smarter than everyone around you. Or stronger. But they all break down your body and organs. It ages you.”
“But we’re immortal.”
“We’d be affected the same.”
I shivered. Okay, not going back to him again. Definitely not. “You’re very serious right now,” I commented.
He lifted a brow. “Are you trying to offend me? I’m never serious. Serious is so boring.”
“You’re on edge, then,” I corrected.
His mouth thinned, eyes locked onto something in the distance. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a threat, and his hackles lowered once more.
My thoughts spun threads together so I could ask, “If it was a risk, why did you bring me here?”
His grip tightened, the only signal of his shock. “Smart for an amateur.”
“Or, I’m just not an amateur.” And I officially know you too well, I thought. Since when could I pick up on his little signs of stress?
We maneuvered around a group of white-clad Demonic fae with leathery, spiked tails. He replied, “You know that answer. Or do I have to remind you about the Post-its? I care about you, so most risks are worth it.” He squeezed my hand. “Relax, love. We’re almost to the station.”
I’m clearly not the one who needs to relax.
Sure enough, however, a large concrete entrance marked the dead-end of the street. On the top beam, the words Enjoy the Link were inscribed. As we walked through the dark mouth, darkness swallowed us whole.
One stretch of concrete made up the only platform. “Not much of a station, is it? And where are the schedules?”
Razai’s shoulders had relaxed. “The train knows when it’s needed.”
“It knows?”
“I did tell you the Underground wasn’t just any old remnant of dead magic, didn’t I?”
Right on cue, as if summoned by Razai’s own self-importance, lights appeared in the black tunnel and the familiar metallic rumble filled the room. Seconds later, a shiny, midnight-blue train slowed to a seamless, screech-less stop before us, and the doors slid open.
Chapter Fifty-One
“What is this supposed to be? Steam trains are on tracks, not monorails.”
“The Underground adapts to modern life as it moves forward. Ladies first.” Razai held out a hand forward, prompting me aboard.
Gods. So many new things in one day, wearing my nerves raw.
The inside wasn’t particularly strange. Wooden seats with thick velvet cushions and shiny black floors gave it a rich atmosphere that definitely felt out of place in this century. I sat down slowly, expecting an ancient butler to appear out of thin air and offer me an Old Fashioned. The doors shut and the train eased into acceleration.
“So, this is a mish-mash of technology and architecture that adapts by itself.”
Razai plopped beside me, managing to make sitting look like a sprawl. “Exactly. The results are always odd little designs and creations, and you never really know when it’s going to change. I’ve heard that before it was a steam engine, the Link was some sort of carriage ride. Horses and all.”
