Page 15 of Grimoire Omens

“Holy cow.” I gasped, knowing it was probably meant for my weedy lawn. “Time to go,” I yelled as I scrambled to get in the car. Everyone piled in, even Cedric, who ended up in the back window running a commentary as I reversed out of the driveway.

“Second missile incoming,” he notified.

Left unsaid? You were told to get moving faster. The unspoken rebuke stung because it turned out Ulseere was right but I’d been too stubborn to listen. In my defense? Who the fuck expected to be the target of demons?

I slammed my car into Reverse, punching it into Drive as soon as the tires hit the street. Rubber squealed as I jammed the gas pedal to the floor. I sped away, white-knuckling the wheel because I saw in the rearview mirror the second fireball hitting the spot where I’d just been parked.

Close. Too close. Maybe I wouldn’t ignore the prince’s warnings anymore.

Maybe… It would help if he could try and not be such an asshole when speaking.

I screamed up the road and turned, barely slowing down, sending everyone lurching. I wanted to put distance between me and the demon who could launch fire.

Only when Cedric stated, “I think we’re out of range,” did I cast a quick glance at Ulseere in the passenger seat, his jaw tight as he stared straight ahead.

“Guess you were right about us needing to leave,” I muttered in apology. I know, magnanimous of me.

“Remember that the next time I give you an order.”

Rather than agree, I asked, “So anyone have a suggestion on where we should go?”

Flo proved to be of only a little help with her, “Somewhere with firemen and water hoses.”

“Not the time to be looking for a date,” I muttered.

It was Cedric with his now all-too-familiar sigh who had an answer. “As I told the prince earlier, I know a place. Get on the 417 and head toward downtown.”

We ended up exiting well before the city center, with Cedric having me park outside of Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats. However, we didn’t enter any of the closed shops or buildings. Nope. Cedric led us into an alley, where Ulseere heaved up a grate so we could descend underground, not my idea of a fun Saturday night, especially since I’d recently seen the movie, IT.

In good news, no sign of any red ballons or clowns. Usually once you saw either, it was too late.

The bad news? Years of watching horror had taught me that not everyone who went underground emerged alive. With any luck, it would be the elf or the cat.

5

I grumbled as I climbed down the metal rung ladder—with sticky spots I really didn’t want to think about. “I don’t see how hiding in the sewers is a good idea. Won’t that make it easier for demons to trap us?”

“This isn’t a sewer but an access point for the historic Beer Tunnel under Lebreton Flats,” explained Cedric, who’d chosen to ride Ulseere’s shoulder, his tail swishing.

I frowned. “The what tunnels?”

Trust Flo to know what Cedric spoke of. “The old Beer Tunnel was built ages ago for some train but somehow got forgotten. They rediscovered in the eighties if I remember correctly, but to ensure people couldn’t get in, they were supposed to have bricked it off.”

“They did. It’s since been reopened,” Cedric stated as we reached the bottom and clustered around the ladder.

“By who?” I asked, blinking as a dim bulb overhead suddenly turned on, showing a concrete tunnel that extended in two directions that proved slightly cleaner—and less shit-filled—than expected.

“Folks who prefer to avoid notice.”

I kept prodding, “And you know about this because…”

“Your grandmother used to visit from time to time.”

“What the hell for?” I asked as we began walking, blithely following a cat, which suddenly made me wonder if I was still drunk and high, maybe passed out at home, having a very vivid drug-induced dream.

“Because things like grave dirt and the skin of a leper peeled at midnight can be so easily ordered online.” Cedric layered on the sarcasm.

“Are you saying there’s a literal underground black market for spell ingredients?”