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“Take us as far out as you can while keeping it in view, and then I guess we’ll work our way through the woods from there.”
She nodded, her engine revved again, and her bike cut in front of him. Cy’s head-first dive into the unknown made Grey suck in a sharp breath, but Noel reached to give one of his arms a reassuring squeeze before shooting after her.
The claustrophobic mess of this untraveled path made Noel’s vision tunnel to the next turn and the next until Cy slowed again at the edge of the tree line. Orange began to dip into that pinkish hue, still too bright for last-minute stragglers not to be on the road. The evidence of that was clear when the rumble of another vehicle sounded ahead. They rolled further back into the trees and behind the cover of leaves as a polished black car rolled past, windows rolled down for them to take in the clean-cut Grand Capital members lounging inside.
Cy muttered something under her breath Noel didn’t quite catch, outside of a couple choice words like motherfuckers and bastards before they vanished from view again. Noel began his slow countdown, his heart pounding wildly as he strained to listen for any other signs of remaining travelers heading for shelter.
“I think we’re clear,” he breathed after a prolonged, uneasy silence.
Cy nodded in agreement and nudged forward again, turning sharply to run parallel with the road while keeping concealed by the trees. The pinkish hue dipped to a lilac during the crawl, only to be interrupted by one more rumble.
He peered out ahead of them as Grey sat up straighter, his body twisting behind him before he breathed Noel’s name and a tug on his jacket. Noel whipped his head around to the silver van tearing through, the Grand Capital emblem painted on the doors and hood.
“Fuck me,” Noel hissed, zipping behind cover before they reached them.
Grey’s trembling offset the idle vibrations of the bike, turning Noel into another shaking mess until the van fell out of sight. He shot forward until he found Cy glancing around just up ahead.
“What the hell?” he hissed. “What was?—”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Her bike lurched forward, rocketing ahead with far less subterfuge than before. Every scrap of caution quickly abandoned in favor of satiating curiosity. Grey winced at the hurtle of Noel’s pursuit, but all he could focus on now was another variable potentially throwing one final wrench into their plans.
The rounded entry drive leading to the metallic-green gates barring the mouth of the stone-arched entrance to the mountain was cluttered with people in stark white uniforms and crimson Grand Capital emblems on their sleeves.
“Shit,” Cy hissed as the uniformed individuals passed by each other—the set by the doors heading for the van while the one by the van strode toward the doors.
“What?” Grey asked, his breathy question tickling Noel’s ear as he craned his neck to peer past him. Instead of the good shivers of him being so incredibly close, the panicked, bone-chilling kind replaced it.
“Guard change,” she said. “They’re swapping out macharomancers. Are you fucking kidding me? Why bother putting anyone out here when?—”
The van’s engine turning over solidified that horrible realization that they’d have to fight their way in or prolong this curse to find another solution. Gravel crunched under tires as the previous shift left, right as the sky’s lilac deepened into a velvety shade that called forth the night.
Cy turned off her motorcycle and dropped her bag in the grass. “Leave your shit here,” she ordered. “Only take your trades and haul ass inside the second I lead them away.”
“What?” Grey’s distressed snap of a reply practically slashed through Noel as he turned to face her, donning a mask of horror.
“Cy, you can’t,” Noel ground out.
“I can, and I fucking will.” She hopped off and crouched down to pluck out the black, glittering vial. “I’ll circle back when I lose them and duck inside then. Be quick. The altar’s bound to be in the far back. Drop your shit, pray, and get the hell out once you’re done. Don’t agree to anything else outside of that trade because whatever fair folk creature greets you in there will absolutely try to do that.”
Noel fumbled with his keys and scrambled off his motorcycle to stop her. “How are you so sure? What if?—”
“The dark shit the Grand Capital gets up to spreads quickly the second it leaks from the wall. Trust me on this. Whatever greets you, play nice with it and run.”
He didn’t even get the chance to seize her arm before she sprinted out of the woods and onto the gravel. His blood ran cold as she jogged up toward them and one of the guards loudly demanded her identification. Grey’s boots hit the grass behind him, his bag dropping next to Noel while he rifled through it for a wooden box and a rolled swatch of canvas.
Cy’s voice rose, curses spilled out, and the guards advanced on her. Grey’s whispered pleadings for her to run fell on the wrong ears, but she bolted the opposite direction. Noel’s legs locked up for the briefest moment, unable to convince himself to move until Grey started past and grabbed a fist-full of his jacket sleeve.
She’d done this for them—for Noel to play the part of the hero that he’d already fumbled at the starting line. He pushed down that piece of him that revolted at treading inside a Grand Capital monument and grabbed Grey’s hand. Soon, this would be nothing but a bad dream. Because it had to be.
49
GREY
Grey’s heart hammered in his chest when he tugged on the gate. It clanged in protest against its catch. No, no, no?—
Noel reached past him and gasped where the lock was holding it until a click flooded Grey with another fresh shot of adrenaline. He tore it open and ushered Grey inside.
