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"Bad," I said flatly. "There's a girl here. Verena. I need to find her."
He straightened, eyes narrowed with warning and—pain. Deep, gnawing pain, the kind that scarred minds and left its mark. The kind that was leaving its mark on me right now. Who had he lost in the fight at Olympus?
"I won't let you harm a child."
I snapped my eyes up to his, rage pouring a growl from my throat, shaking my chest. The guards ducked around me and swiftly down the hallway.
"She's ours. I've come to take her home."
Cerny watched me suspiciously until I strode forward, inclined to kill him if it got me to Verena faster.
"Alright, I'll take you to her," he relented, turning to address the line of guards blocking the door. No one was currently trying to ram the door from outside, but how long before more rioters replaced those I'd killed, eager to try their hand at ruling? It was a fatal flaw of all demons; we wanted power. Some wanted magical power, others wanted riches and status, some wanted the power in freedom, but most wanted to rule, to stand over everyone else and be worshipped like a god. Kai and Harvey would accept the position in a heartbeat.
He angled his head as the guards let us through, and I followed quickly, silence loud in my head. "We found her a few hours ago, hiding out in one of the bedrooms. She nearly burned Russ when he coaxed her out. Her power is untested, but it's dangerously powerful."
I'd only seen sparks of golden light from her, but it wouldn't surprise me. She was a descendant of gods and still so young; she had a whole life to uncover vast scores of power. I'd make damn sure of it.
Which meant … I had to stay alive. For Verena. For the promise I made Haley. As much as I didn't see the appeal in a world without her, I wouldn't leave her last wish unfulfilled.
"She won't tell us her name, but there's no other girl you could be looking for. Actually, that’s not true; she told us her name is go fuck yourself."
I tried to laugh, but it wouldn't form. My chest was empty.
"Cerny," a stern middle-aged woman called, racing to catch up to us. "They've broken through the east wing. We're trying to push them out and patch up the wall, but there are so many of them."
"Fuck," Cerny breathed, and there was no hiding the exhaustion in that sound. His gaze flicked between the woman and me, and he groaned. "If I find out you've kidnapped this girl, you'll be hunted to the ends of every realm. But go straight ahead and it's the third door on your left. Leahan, show me where they broke through."
Straight ahead, third door on the left. I didn't blink when Cerny ran off to deal with the rebels rampaging through the palace; I picked up my pace until I was running, my breaths coming in ragged scrapes, my head full of woolly silence.
I barely even noticed when the palace rocked with an explosion; I was already shaking on the outside, but horribly still inside. I threw open the third door, scanning the small armoury in a millisecond, my eyes landing on the slim teenage girl standing alone in the middle of the room, her body dripping steel and two wicked kindjal already arcing through the air towards me.
My shoulders slumped, casting off an enormous weight, and I heaved a sigh, knocking her clumsy blow aside as gently as I could while avoiding being speared like a pig.
"Are you hurt?" I demanded, peering down at Verena, scanning her for injuries and harm and shaking at the mere thought of it. She was angry but looked the same as when I left her, small and red-haired and covered in ash. "Did anyone bother you while I was gone? Give me their names and they're dead."
"What took you so fucking long?" she demanded, dropping her blades by her sides. "It's been a whole fucking day! You said hours."
I swallowed, my throat tight. "I'm sorry," I said gravely.
Verena scoffed, turning from me and sheathing her kindjal so she could grab more weapons off the walls—five small throwing stars, a little blade meant for close, tortuous work, and a sword far too heavy for her. "Whatever. What happened to you anyway?"
I stared at the gore covering me, the puddle of blood on the flagstones under me. "People got in my way. I told you I'd be back, and I wasn't about to break my word."
Verena lifted her messy red head, her eyes narrowed but surprise in the softness of her face. "Oh."
"Are you hurt?" I asked again, holding her gaze, blood roaring in my ears.
"No." She put the throwing stars in the pocket of a hoodie she'd got from gods knew where, and my heart skipped. Didn't she realise how easily they could slice through fabric and into her stomach? She could bleed out. She could be sliced apart like—like my Hales. "I'm fine. No one's tried to hurt me or even kick me out. There was this self-righteous blonde guy who tried to help me, but that's all. Everyone's too worried about the attacks to bother with me."
"Good," I grunted, scanning the walls and tables until I found a small leather pouch on a strap. I snatched it off the table and snapped open the closing. "Put the stars in here."
She eyed me warily but did as I ordered and accepted the pouch in her freckled hand with a strange expression. "Where are the others?"
"At a safe house on Earth. That's where I'm taking you."
"Why?" She crossed her arms over her chest, weapons clanking. "I'm nothing to you, why do you give a shit?"
My throat bobbed. I didn't know how to explain it.
