G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 2) Shifters by Bobby Brimmer Read Free Book Online Page B

yet? He’ll be joining us for a bit.”
    “We met when he uh, dropped off the tags. Good to see ya again,” Elvis said.
    “Good to see you as well,” Hunter smiled.
    “And uh, it’s a pleasure to see all these lovely ladies. What can I get ya?” he asked.
    “Are our tags ready?” Danny asked.
    “Uh huh. They’re uh, in the back,” Elvis said, spinning his arm up in rock and roll fashion before pointing behind him, “Stay cool baby. I’ll go grab ‘em.”
    With that he turned on his heels and disappeared into the vast world of the weapon racks. I listened to the King’s soothing voice and watched my team fidget about as they waited.
    “You all are really excited about these tags, huh?”
    “Are you kidding?” Danny asked, “This is the moment we become legit.”
    “Okay? How’s that exactly?”
    “I believe that Mr. Frost’s excitement stems from the idea that getting our dog tags is sort of the unofficial coronation of GHOST Team agents,” Freddy added.
    “If they are such a big deal, why did it take so long to get ‘em to us?”
    “I’m so happy that you asked,” Freddy smiled, “You see, our tags are carved from Payens’ Plate. An ancient suit of magical armor handed down through the leaders of the Knight’s Templar by their very first recorded grandmaster, Hugues De Payens. While Payens always claimed that it was forged by the hand of god, it was actually created by brother Wizards, Baldwin and Godfrey. These wizards were deeply religious men who believed their magical powers were in fact a gift from god. So, they devoted their entire lives to the creation of armor to be used in his service. It was in their final years, before the armor had yet been completed, that they discovered Payens and the Knights Templar. Believing the cause to be just, they donated their life’s work to his order.”
    “Wait, didn’t Kara say that magical items don’t last?”
    “You should spend less time flirting and more time listening,” Kara corrected, “What I said was that it would probably take even one wizard their entire lifetime to create something everlasting. In this case, you had two.”
    “Fair enough. How long did it take ‘em to make it?”
    “Three hundred and seven years,” Freddy smiled, “They say it was Godfrey’s dying words that finished the armor and his brother Baldwin died a day later, after delivering it. These men were extraordinary wizards who devoted every waking moment to their work.”
    “Those were some old dudes.”
    “Wizards have been known to live for a very long time,” Kara smiled.
    “Apparently. And now we cut pieces off of this armor and wear them as dog tags?”
    “While a slightly crude way to put it,” Freddy scowled, “That is mostly accurate. The process by which they are carved from Payens’ plate is time consuming and meticulous. In order to preserve the magic and maintain its properties, only the finest masters of magical metallurgy, under the supervision of a wizard, can be called upon to create the tags. This is why it has taken so many weeks for ours to be delivered.”
    “Let me guess, ‘masters of magical metallurgy’ means Dwarves?” I smiled, before looking over at Hunter, “No offense.” 
    “None taken,” he smiled, “I enjoy the irony.”
    I was about to ask him what he meant, when Freddy spoke up.
    “In fact, it is the noble elves that are more often called upon for the crafting. Few others possess the knowledge and precision to perform the task,” Freddy nodded.
    “That makes sense. They do rock it in Santa’s toy shop.”
    “Mr. Chang,” Freddy snapped.
    I was actually taken aback for a minute. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Freddy’s tone change so fast. I could tell from his voice that he was mortified. Sadly, all I could do was hold out my hands and shrug my shoulders, as I had no idea why he was so offended. Freddy was actually turning red and didn’t seem capable of replying. The rest of the team also looked