Vision Quest (The Demon's Apprentice Book 3) Read Free Page B

courtesy phone by the ticket counter.
    “Mr. Fortunato, this is the tower,” the voice on the other end said when I picked up the receiver. “We’ve been asked by Mr. Gage to let you know he’s landing in five minutes. You can meet him at Hangar B.” Without waiting for me to answer, the guy on the other end hung up.
    “Great,” I said. “Where the hell is Hangar B?” One of the ladies behind the ticket counter looked up and smiled.
    “It’s down the runway a little ways. It’s one of the private hangars,” she said. “Ask at the operations office over there, they’ll have someone take you out there.”
    Ten minutes later, we were bouncing along in a golf cart toward a curved building. The sound of a jet engine greeted us as the driver pulled through the open hangar doors, and I could feel the heated gust from its exhaust wash over us. Standing beside it was a blonde guy in slacks and a dress shirt and a blazer. A pile of luggage was stacked beside him, and he looked at his watch as we pulled up. I made him at eighteen or nineteen. His blonde hair was styled within an inch of its life, and his narrow face was deeply tanned.
    “I’ve been waiting a full two minutes,” the man said as we pulled to a stop in front of him. “I gave you plenty of notice of my arrival, and I do not like having my time wasted, Fortunato.”
    Lucas shook his head and winced at the greeting, and I got out of the golf cart.
    “I’ve been waiting five hours longer than I planned on,” I told him as I crossed the distance between us. “You’re here to observe me in my life, not make me jump to make yours more convenient. You’ve already set me back an entire day, so don’t bitch about two minutes.”
    He took a half-step back with a wide-eyed look on his face, then he recovered and shook his head.
    “Do you even know who I am? I’m Winthrop Gage, of the Boston Gages. You will not take that tone with me, plebe. Not if you want to even set foot in the halls of the Franklin Academy. One word from me and you’ll be lucky to shine the shoes of a real mage.” He tilted his head back a little and actually looked down his nose at me before he gave me a sniff of disapproval.
    I crossed my arms and tilted my head. “You can keep me out of the Franklin Academy?” I asked.
    “With a single word,” he said.
    “Do it,” I said. “You’d make my day.”
    Without a word, he pulled a phone from inside his blazer and tapped the screen. “I have Master Draeden’s personal number on speed dial,” he said. Moments later, he put the phone to his ear and turned away from me. “Master Draeden, Winthrop Gage. This Fortunato boy, he simply won’t do. He’s insolent, slovenly, and he has no notion of how to treat his betters. I’m formally … no, sir … no, sir, it isn’t. I understand that, sir, but we have standards … no, sir, I don’t. No, sir, I haven’t. Yes, sir, I do recall that. And I appreciate your … yes, sir, I do. But, Master Draeden, those are not the same. I’m a … no, sir, there is no difference. Yes, sir. One moment.” He turned and handed me the phone, his face set in a stiff expression. “He would like to speak to you.”
    “A valiant effort, Mr. Fortunato,” Draeden’s voice came over the line. “But you won’t be getting out of your appointment to the Franklin Academy that easily.”
    “Can’t blame a guy for trying,” I said.
    “I can, but I won’t. Mr. Gage is not there to approve or disapprove of your attendance at the Academy. He is there to observe your character, evaluate your level of skill, and recommend placement upon arrival. Nothing more. If you pull anything like this again, I will personally recommend that you be placed in preparatory classes for the rest of the summer session. Do I make myself clear?”
    “Yeah,” I said.
    “Put Mr. Gage back on the line then.”
    I handed the phone back to Gage.
    “We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” Lucas said as he walked up beside me. He