Free Vision Quest (The Demon's Apprentice Book 3) by Ben Reeder Page B

doors sat high and in the middle. Then the Phoenix came to a stop. For a moment, I wondered how people were supposed to get off the train. My question was answered as the entire trained dropped three feet in a smooth descent. Beside me, Junkyard let out a short bark.
    “Yeah, that is cool, buddy,” I said.
    “What’s that over there?” Shade asked, pointing to a series of flickering lights that ran along one edge of the cavern.
    “Degenerates and scum,” Gage said. “Nothing more.”
    “Hate to rain on your picnic, lad,” Brand said, “but that’s just some poor folk. Can’t afford to buy a place in town, but they’re not well suited to living on the cowan side of the Veil. Them as don’t have natural Glamoury, like the fae and such, or honest folk fallen on hard times. Seems there’s more and more of that nowadays, bad as things are.”
    “That’s utter nonsense,” Gage said. “My family’s business is doing better than ever. They’re just too lazy to work hard enough to make a decent life for themselves. I’m interested in the new construction over on that far wall, though.”
    “That’d be a bunch of lazy degenerates building their own homes out of the cavern wall,” Brand said with a straight face. “Bought their own tools, and got licensed proper. Slow going that. Doing most of it by hand.” Gage turned to glare down at the rest of the small city below us.
    “Why does it look like an Army base?” Shade asked.
    “Because it was,” Brand said with a  laugh that seemed to come from somewhere south of his knees. “Did you ever hear of Project Bright Halo?”
    “Oh!” Shade said with a smile. “We talked about that in American History one day when we had a substitute teacher. It was one of the super-secret projects during the Cold War, some kind of bunker to keep the government going if the Russians ever attacked us.”
    “Exactly so,” Brand said. “The Underground used to just be the far chamber, then the cowan government came down, built their little town, and left. The Conclave made sure they forgot where the put it a few months later.”
    “How did you keep them from discovering you?” I asked. “Warding runes?”
    “Damn big ones,” Brand said. He pointed toward a smooth spot halfway up the opening in the other wall. “See there, that bare patch? That is where we had to chisel the rock away to dispel the runes.” By that point, we were almost level with the top of the tallest buildings. Below us I could see the slightly elevated platform where, in theory, we would be stopping. A small kiosk was set next to it, with a small light glowing atop it. Brand moved the handle forward, and our descent slowed, then we came to a stop as the car came level with the platform.
    “Welcome to the Underground,” the Dwarf said as he pulled the inner door open. The outer door slid to the side on its own, and we stepped out onto the platform.
    “Great,” Shade muttered. “Now what?”
    “An excellent question,” Gage said. “Surely you know where Bjernings is, yes?” He sounded far too satisfied with himself to me, and I resisted the urge to smack him.
    “Of course I do,” I said as I headed for the board marked “Information” near the edge of the platform. “After all, it’s my first time here. I instantly know where everything is.”
    “The Franklin Academy does not accept excuses for ignorance,” he said. The cadence of his voice was measured and precise, like something that had been drilled into him. “Your attitude is as much part of my evaluation as your…ignorance…” he trailed off as I pulled a map from one of the wooden holders.
    “I wasn’t being that sarcastic,” I said as I unfolded the map. “Now I know where everything is.”
    “Should I sing the map song?” Shade asked.
    “The what?” I asked.
    “From the kids’ show,” she explained.
    “I think I know that one,” I said.
    “What idiot wouldn’t get that reference?” Gage asked. I didn’t