Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(24)

She snapped her mouth shut. As worried as she and Del were, they knew I was right.

“Fine, but call us if you need us,” Del said. “We can be there in a heartbeat.”

“Exactly.” I smiled. “So no need to worry!”

She laughed. “Hardly. But be careful.”

“And find someone to take you across the valley,” Cass said. “You’ll need a guide."

“Will do.” I hugged her and Del.

We said our goodbyes, and they disappeared back to Magic’s Bend, the beaker in tow.

“Glad to have that off my hands.” I looked at Ares. “What do you say we head into a bar and try to find a guide?”

“Lead on.”

We headed out onto the old street and went into the Death’s Door Saloon. We stepped through the swinging doors and I felt like I was in a John Wayne movie. It smelled of beer and cigar smoke. My eyes adjusted to the dim light within.

Though it was fairly early, there were a few men and women at the bar—all dressed kinda like old Western cowboys—and a few more playing pool. I pointed to an old guy with a big white mustache who sat at the end of the bar. “How about him?”

“Why him?” Ares asked.

“Because old guys have done it all and when they’re finished, they sit at the bar, knowing it all.”

“Good enough logic for me.”

I walked toward the bar, choosing a seat one down from my target. Ares sat on my other side. The bartender, a tall man with straight black hair and piercing eyes, came over. “What’ll it be?”

“Coffee, thanks.” It was too early for beer or whiskey. Not that I’d tell that to the old guy next to me. I pointed to him. “And another one for him.”

The old man’s keen blue eyes raised to meet mine. “Thank ya’ kindly. But what’s that for?”

The bartender busied himself with our order, along with Ares’s coffee, and I turned to the man and smiled. “Hoping you could help us with some information.”

His bushy white eyebrow rose. “Information, ey?”

“We’re trying to get across Death Valley. To Hider’s Haven.”

His brows lowered. “Whatcha want to go there for?”

My mind raced. Better to be the hunted than the hunter, if I wanted help. I lowered my voice. “I’m looking to lay low for a while.”

The guy nodded at Ares. “What about him?”

“Him too.”

“Must be someone bad then.”

“Isn’t it always?” I accepted my drink from the bartender and handed him a few bills, then turned to the man. “So, do you know anyone who could guide us across the valley?”

“First, it’s through the valley, not across.” He sipped the whiskey I’d bought him.

I held up a hand. “My mistake. Through the valley.”

“Now that we’ve got that straight, yeah. I know a gal. My nieces lead people through. But it’ll cost ya.”

“That’s all right. Where can we find her?”

“Down at the end of the road toward the west, turn right and look for the house with the buggy out front.”

“The buggy?”

He frowned. “Did I stutter?”

“No, I just…” I nodded. “Okay. Look for the house with the buggy out front.”

“Yeah. Got a pink ribbon tied on the back.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded and sipped the whiskey. “Be careful now. The valley ain’t no place for the timid.”

I grinned. Timidity wasn’t my problem. “You have a good day.”

I got up, met Ares’s eye, and we left. The day had warmed up in the time we’d been in the bar. It might be winter, but Death Valley cooled for no season. I found the rising sun and headed down the street in the opposite direction. We passed a crossroads and a vehicle parked on the dirt side street caught my eye. I pulled to a dead stop, staring. “Whoa.”

“What?” Ares turned to look.

The car was actually a tricked out beast of a machine, painted gunmetal gray, with massive wheels, spikes all over the hood, and the headlights contained in cages. There was another one just beyond it, a similar style but customized differently.

I glanced at Ares. “So I guess they’ve traded up from horse and buggies.”

“An understatement.”

We continued down the street, reaching the end and taking a right. There were only a few houses in this part of town, and one had a massive tricked out gray hummer sitting next to two similar machines. The tires were almost as big as I was. They made the one we’d seen earlier look like kid cars. A pink ribbon fluttered off the back of the biggest, meanest one.

“That’s the buggy?” I asked.

“Looks like.” Ares chuckled.

The body almost looked like an old-school Hummer, boxy and big, but the top had been sawed off to make a convertible. Except that a platform had been erected high over the front seats, big enough for a person to stand on while holding onto a rail that had been fixed to the front. The driver could sit in the seat underneath. There was a similar platform off the back as well. Spikes protruded from the sides, as if it would repel any monster that tried to ram it.

A girl walked out of the house. She was tall and thin, with bleached hair styled in a mohawk. She wore brown leather from head to toe, but it was more apocalypse-chic than anything else. Her tank top was a strappy thing that looked like she’d made it herself, along with leather fingerless gloves and metal bands around her forearms. Black eye makeup streaked around her eyes.