Motor City Mage by Cindy Spencer Pape Page A

bloodstained tunic, cocked the weapon in her hand. “Bring it.”
    Des resisted the urge to shove her behind him. It was getting harder and harder to remember she didn’t respond well to his treating her as a liability rather than an asset. He did wish she’d keep in mind that he had a lot more combat experience than she did. Probably most of this motley crew did, for that matter, possibly excluding the severely wounded female Gravaki and the pale gray, thin creature with big eyes. He looked like he came from Area 51. Had the human notion of aliens come from the Margetto? Glass-like bones, Ordwel had said, so no good in a fight. That left eight combatants. Fish had a pistol, plus his weird stretching ability. Even the gnome had picked up one of the rifles and looked like he knew how to use it, never mind it was taller than he was. Their force was small but determined, and it would have to be enough.
    “You want me to cast a sound-dampening spell on us?” Des asked the others. That one didn’t take a lot of power. “We won’t be totally silent, but we shouldn’t attract attention unless we do something loud, like scream or fire a weapon.”
    The others nodded and they moved together into the stairwell for Des to cast the spell.
    Ordwel paused at the top of the stairs, clearly torn between helping his woman and leading them. “Let me take her,” Lana said, her voice no more than a whisper due to the spell. “You know the way, and you’re a better fighter than me, but I am strong enough to carry someone, if it comes to that.”
    With obvious reluctance Ordwel nodded. Odd how Des had learned to read Gravaki expressions in such a short time.
    Lana slung her rifle over her back. She wrapped an arm around the other female, supporting most of her weight. “Hi there. I’m Lana. Don’t worry, we’re going to get you out of this.”
    “Nissettin,” the other female whispered, leaning heavily and giving Lana a small smile. “Thank you.”
    Ordwel and Vin led the way, with Des and Fish right behind them. The gnome and the gray guy followed Lana and Nissettin, while the vampire-angel and the other green Gravaki brought up the rear. It was creepy as hell to have demons at his back, but Des knew Lana was watching the rear as well. He trusted her. Even in fight, though most of his instincts screamed at the idea of her being anywhere near one.
    They paused at a landing one story down. Vin listened at the door. After a moment, he shook his head and motioned for them all to keep moving. They went down three flights that way, finally coming to the very bottom of the stairwell.
    Once again, Ordwel and Vin both listened at the door. Ordwel held up two fingers and Vin shook his head, holding up four.
    Lana eased her charge down onto a step. “Rest and watch our backs.”
    Nissettin nodded. The gray man nodded as well, standing beside her, facing up the stairs after he allowed the others to pass.
    “Close your eyes when you open the doors,” Des told the Gravakis. He knew they were sensitive to light, so a flash spell would slow the guards.
    The others nodded and lined up beside the doors. On Des’s count, they flung them open, and he cast his flash, another low-power spell that didn’t cost him much in the way of energy. Then he brought up his makeshift knife and slit the throat of the first guard he found. Their scaled skin didn’t pierce easily, so the Gravaki got in a few claw wounds before Des was done.
    When he fell, Des grabbed his semiautomatic. Much better.
    Shots were fired, and one of their number fell. So much for silence. The Pethit, which really did resemble a cross between a vampire and an angel, howled as her cellmate dropped. She flew forward and savagely ripped out the throat of the guard who’d shot, taking several bullets herself in the process. Both fell to the ground. Lana and the gnome fired down the hallway, killing another who had just started to run toward the fray. Bullets peppered the area, and