Thank all that was holy, Lara ran like she had a homing beacon inside her. It was like she innately knew the way, but I knew her practically photographic memory probably traced the path out inside her incredible mind. Joy filled me as I realized that she would make it out. Behind us, I heard the rumble before I felt it. And chanting.So. Much. Chanting.
The Chiorics were drawing the Ceti out. Beckoning it to do something. To pull the Gallery down? To chase us? Who fucking knew what they were up to? It was bad, that much wascertain. They had the thrysos and a sea monster. Things couldn’t get much worse.
I pumped my legs harder, forcing myself to run faster. We had to get out before the building came down. We took two corners at high speed, nearly skidding as we went, but up ahead there was a door labeled ‘EXIT.’ Lara made it through first. Ahead of us, tied to the dock on the river, there was a boat.
“See the boat?” Briony asked. “The fancy wood one with the red flag?”
“Yeah,” Lara answered, nearly out of breath.
“Get on it,” Briony breathed, her voice raspy. “It has a remote start. I’m hacking in now.”
Lara ran for the boat, assuming I was right behind her. It wasn’t until she was on board that she turned back. When she didn’t hear my footsteps on deck. “What are you doing?” she shouted.
My throat ached, all the things I wanted to say burning me up inside. There wasn’t time. We’d gauged this whole thing wrong. There was only one thing left to do.
“She’s staying to fight,” Briony whispered. “Ember, no.”
Somewhere on the line, I heard Ares and Rhiannon, arguing. I took my earpiece out, but spoke into it. “Lara, you go. Help the rest of them get the swords. If you have time, bring mine back to me.” I took a deep breath, watching Cromvale walk calmly out the National Gallery door, just as the building began to creak.
The Cetiwasgoing to pull it down. And he was going to try to kill me, but I wasn’t going to let him. This wasn’t over, but I knew my odds against a godkilling weapon, a throng of cultist and a sea monster weren’t superb, by any means.
“I love you,” I said.To Rhi. To Lara. To Briony. To Ares. “I’ll hold him off to give you time. Don’t forget about my tree, Rhiannon. You know the place I want to rest.”
Through the earpiece, I heard her screaming my name. I held a hand up to Lara in goodbye, then pressed it to my lipsand my heart. “I love you,” I shouted to her, as I dropped the earpiece and crushed it with my boot. “Go.”
I could see the tears on her face from here, as she shook her head. “Go,” I screamed. “Help them.”
I didn’t wait to see if she would do as I ordered, but turned to meet Cromvale. If tonight was to be my end, then I would go with honor, protecting the people I loved.
CHAPTER 39
ARES
When Ember’scomm line went dead, I didn’t realize I was screaming. That Eryx was trying to keep me from launching myself out the backseat of the car. It took five full heartbeats to come back to myself. When I did, the boy from the metro tunnel sat between me and Eli, pale and gaunt.
“You got the Angel back,” the boy said. “You did what we wanted.”
Eryx stared at the boy and then at me. “What is he talking about?”
“Lara,” I replied, practically desolate. Now was not the time for this bullshit. My heart raced as I thought of ways I could get away from Eryx, back to Ember. “I think.”
Eryx rolled his eyes. Apparently, I’d misunderstood the trajectory of his question. “Obviously. When did Hypatos Bielke find you?”
Hypatos Bielke. Hypatos Bielke. The kid’s face finally registered in my mind. “You lived behind the shop.”
The child nodded. “You always talked a big game. Thought when you became boss, things would change, but you got the Angel hauled off.”
Rain pounded down the car windows, and it was nearlyimpossible to see where we were going, but I trusted Avaline. She had us headed to meet Lara on the boat, no doubt. I had to get my head straight. Much as every instinct in me told me to get back to Ember, no matter the cost, if I went without her sword, I would only distract her.
What I had to do now was focus on getting her that sword. It was her best chance of surviving a weapon that had been imbued with a god’s power. There were few secrets in Necroline history about gods, as even our own lore had been tainted by the Authority’s rewriting, but there were serious cautions against objects that had no power on their own, but were blessed by gods.
They were to be avoided at all costs. Though vague, I could only imagine that the warning had survived all other attempts to suppress our knowledge of the gods because it was important. Rhiannon twisted in her seat to look at us.
“Are you talking to a ghost right now?” she asked, directing her question to my brother. “At a time like this?”
Eryx sighed. “Yes. There’s a kid here. He wouldn’t be if he didn’t have something important to say,would he?” My brother raised an eyebrow to the kid who’d died in the fire that destroyed our parents’ flower shop, when the blaze traveled to the building behind us.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Hypatos said, twisting his mouth into a knot. “I came to say thanks, and that we’ll help your girl if you keep helping us.”
