Page 73 of Curse of the Wolf
“Indeed.” Duncan pulled out a kit with glass droppers. “You’d have to tip quite profusely to entice a delivery driver up here, I believe.”
“Veryprofusely.”
Duncan took the vial from me, carefully removed the lid, and walked to the wall. He started to slip the dropper into the vial but paused.
Moretickscame from the door. Maybe the bugs weren’t knocking as much as trying to find a way in. Since they could use the elevator, I wouldn’t put it past them to figure out a door.
“Glass is impervious to most acids but not hydrofluoric acid,” Duncan said. “Do you know what all is in blue-spider liquid?”
“Besides blue spiders? I haven’t a clue. Just smear some on there, and let’s see if it does anything.”
Even if the stuff could eat through cement and metal, it was hard to imagine such a small amount of liquid being sufficient to make a hole big enough to crawl through. I assumed that was what Duncan had in mind. Still, the liquid in the vialwasmagical. Maybe it would surprise me.
“As my lady commands.” Duncan inclined his head toward me, then used the dropper to extract liquid and spread a line of it on the wall.
An eyeshadow brush would have worked better, assuming it didn’t disintegrate, but maybe Abrams kept himself to a minimal makeup regimen and didn’t store such things in his lab.
Duncan had made a circle using about half the liquid when he frowned down at the dropper. “Oh, hell.”
He showed it to me. The acid had eaten through the end of the tool.
I backed up.
“Hydrofluoric acid may be themainingredient,” he said.
“I thinkmagicis the main ingredient.” I wondered what impervious material the vial was made from.
“Either way, I’m doing my best not to touch the stuff with my finger or any other body parts.” Holding the dropper and vial at arm’s length, Duncan backed to the counter. He tossed the remains of the implement into a sink and delved into the drawer again.
“Yes,” I said. “I assume it can also eat through skin.”
“Even without magic, some acids can go right through tissues and decalcify bones. I…” He trailed off, his nose wrinkling.
Though the ventilation fan continued to run, sucking most noticeable odors out of the room, I did smell a faint acrid scent. And was that smoke drifting up from the wall?
The metal looked more like a panel rather than inches of solid steel. That was promising.
“It’s working.” I pointed at the smoke but worried about the intensified clinks andtinkscoming from the door. It sounded like the bugs were trying to create their own hole to go through.
“Ah, delightful.”
“There will probably be insulation in the wall and another panel,” I warned.
“No problem.” Duncan held up a fresh dropper that he’d found. “I’ve got more acid.”
After carefully levering out the circular piece he’d made in the wall, he leaned in to rip out chunks of insulation. There was indeed an inner panel behind it.
I paced as he applied acid to it but halted when I noticed vapor wafting in through a crack under the door.
“Those bugs really want to knock us out.” I rubbed my still-numb fingertips together.
Duncan glanced that way. “The vapor might do more than that.”
“Comforting.”
“I’ll fling the rest of this acid at them if they force their way in.”
“I’m getting my money’s worth for Rue’s services.”
