He slid a piece of paper across the table. It was an address uptown, and a name. I raised an eyebrow. “This one’s awfully high up in the Authority.”
Eli shook his head. “Don’t dig into this, man.”
“Has Lux seen something?” I asked. I needed to know if there was something to be suspicious of.
He sighed. “No. The road goes dark after I give this to you. Whatever happens next is Saints-touched.”
Not Saints-touched. Gods-touched. The Saints were gods.
My heart nearly stilled as I contemplated the multi-faceted idea of truth in all its myriad forms. Did it matter that the Saints were gods? From some angles, yes. In others, no. Pulling apart these kinds of knots was tricky, especially when it came to visions.
Typically, a Seer as powerful as Lux Medios saw infinite possibilities if fate hadn’t been decided yet. Or what they saw changed rapidly, moving too fast or too erratically to read. If the road went dark—well, there were a lot of interpretations for that.
Some thought it meant Fate herself had intervened. Others thought it meant the Saints had drawn a curtain over the rest to let Fate sort herself out in private. But it was not good. It meant that whatever this was, it was as big as I feared it might be.
Eli stood. “I hope I see you alive again, Ares.”
His words were ominous, but they were pure Eli. The man was nothing if not a pessimistic optimist. And then he was gone. I stared at the address for a long moment, before calling mysnitch in the notorious building’s security. I smiled as the information I wanted came through, then texted Ember the address, asking her to meet me there. We could search the Senator’s apartment together.
CHAPTER 28
EMBER
Dense fog hunglow over the city, permeating every atom of air from the street to the sky. The Authority had a lot of locations where their precious pets lived—locked behind heavy iron gates to keep the rabble out—and the Valnord was one such place.
I watched the building from a perch three blocks away, behind one of LimonCo’s subtler “daylight” screens. In neighborhoods like the Valnord’s there wasn’t so much as a hint of flashing neon or bright digiscreens. This was where all the managerial class Corps employees had homes. They hated the aesthetic of neon and flashing lights.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced at it for a long moment, digesting the paragraphs upon paragraphs of words—a veritable lecture on my poor performance—then shot back a one-liner. The heart of Kara Asterion’s response was what I expected. Calypso Montague wanted out of Aradios. It was all worked out, but for the timing. Obviously, we’d have to wait until Sera was well and Max could go to Aradios for good.
I rolled my eyes a little, but it was fine. Kara was as condescending as ever, but she had the upper handhere, so she could afford to be. The digiscreen I hid behind shifted images, showing a snow-white unicorn galloping across colorful fields of wildflowers. Such nonsense—everyone knew unicorns were wasteland creatures and the beasts certainly weren’t white and fluffy.
The digiscreens showed nothing but artificially generated bullshit that didn’t exist anywhere and glorified evil creatures like unicorns. My lip curled in disgust. Unicorns ate humans alive, after all, if given the chance. But the images were quiet. Beautiful to the untrained eye of the corporate and government bourgeoisie, but notactualart.
Much like the Valnord itself. It was a forty story limestone behemoth, guarded by enormous gothic renditions of the Saints. I checked my phone, re-reading Ares’ text to make sure I was in the right place.
Another text appeared below the address.I’m here. Are you close?
I searched the Valnord’s rooftop. At first glance, all was calm, empty, serene. Near the stained glass dome that covered the atrium, there was the merest hint of movement. Had I not known exactly where Ares was meant to be, I might have missed it. I watched the guards at the Valnord’s gates for a few moments before making my way across LimonCo’s roof and onto the next building.
Far in the distance, sirens blared, muffled by the thick, soupy fog that thickened by the second. I hated these bougie neighborhoods. They were too quiet, too empty at night. I got the reasons why Lara hated the Carlyle, but at least it was in a lively neighborhood. Right now, across town, I knew for certain the streets were full of people, rushing back and forth in the neon-soaked fog, from the bars and noodle shops or late night seances.
There was life in our neighborhood. This one was sterile. Nearly every window in the Valnord was dark. Everyone was either still at work, or at posh dinners further uptown. My jawached as I leapt onto the Valnord’s roof, my feet stinging with impact when I landed, though they did not make a sound.
I didn’t have Rhiannon’s talent for moving in pure silence, but I still had a warrior’s ability to move quickly and quietly, and I stole over to where I knew Ares waited. He stood leaning against the rooftop door, dressed in slim-fitting black trousers and a black turtleneck sweater that showed off the lean, lanky muscles in his arms and chest.
“Aren’t you cold without a coat?” I murmured as I approached.
Ares’ eyes narrowed a bit. “I’m fine. You ready?”
I nodded.
He picked the lock to the rooftop door. They didn’t use electronics up here, but real keys still. It was a boon. The less we depended on any kind of spiritual energy, the less likely we were to be tracked. I was certain Ares could summon a spirit to pick the lock for us, but the fact that he didn’t was yet another mark in my growing list of things I found impressive about him.
The door clicked open, and Ares pocketed his picks. Silently, I followed him down the stairs and through the hallways of the uppermost floor of the building. He closed his eyes for a moment, his lips moving in silent communication with the dead, I assumed. When those green eyes opened back up, he nodded once before picking the lock on the Senator’s door.
As I waited, watching his back, listening carefully for anyone approaching, it occurred to me that when he texted me I came without question. Of course, I looked up the address and found out who it belonged to, but I hadn’t dug deeper. I didn’t trust myself, but for whatever reason, I trusted him. That alone felt like I’d leapt into a yawning abyss, with no guarantee of safety.
The door to the Senator’s apartment swung softly open behind me, just as Ares’ fingertips brushed mine. When I turned, he pulled lightly on my hand, his skin barely touching me. It was enough to send shivers up my arms.
