The courtyard below us is heaving.There are Societas members everywhere.Keeping them out is proving increasingly difficult.The campus is crawling with them.It was bad before, but since the battle outside House Inferos, the group seems to have spawned dozens of new members.Security are constantly having to break up spats of so-called peaceful protests that turn nasty.The chanting and cheering has warped and melted into jeers and cries.
Alistair leans against the wall.“What’s the update?”
“We’ve been played,” I start.
He frowns, so do Lex, Cordelia and Eleanor.
“Architecti has been playing innocent.She taught me how to use my runes, not to help me…”
Lex’s mouth drops open.“She wanted you to control it so she could use you?”
I nod.
“She wants what Interitus wants, in a way.They both want to harness my power for their own benefit.”
That realisation settles over the room.
“So, now what?”Cordelia says.“What’s the plan to stop them?”
“I’ve got access to their memories.There’s an elder angel and between him and Interitus, they gave me the idea.”
“Which is?”Eleanor asks.
“We need to unmake them,” I say.
“Sorry, what?”Lex says.
So I explain what I’ve seen, how the elder said angels weren’t meant to be twins and that their magic should always be contained in one vessel.So that’s what I’m going to do.
Alistair rubs the lines in his brow.“Well, this changes things.One angel we may have stood a chance against.But we’re not going to be able to fight two on our own.We’ve sustained too many losses.And there are too many professors and demons in the city trying to repair the damage and stop Ora from being swallowed by the underworld.”
A conclusion I had already come to.I let out a heavy breath.“I’m aware.Especially if the Societas join in.They’re chanting about the end of fate and the end of times out there.”
Cordelia leans towards the window, peering down at the chaos.“And not if Interitus releases wraiths.There have been enough accidental cuts, and she’s determined enough that it’s likely she’ll use every resource in her arsenal.”
Eleanor presses her lips thin and nods.“I agree, we need reinforcements.”
“There aren’t any,” Midnight says.
“Not in this city, no,” Cordelia answers.
“Your daughter?”Alistair says, moving to join her by the window.
Cordelia nods.“All my children.They have friends, too, from another city.But I’m not sure we have time to gather them and the Imperium girls.”
“Anything will help,” I add.
“We have an entire army we could offer,” Eleanor says.
Cordelia slides her hand into Eleanor’s.“We are quite taken with this city.We don’t want to see it fall.But with the faculty losses and the growing number of Societas and general public members out there, this will become a blood bath unless we get it under control.”
“The only problem is that Sangui City is days away,” I say.
“Architecti and Interitus have been spotted a few miles out.I suspect we have maybe a day or two at most before they come looking for you,” Alistair says.
Cordelia nods.“I believe you can cut your way between realms, can you not?”
Midnight’s eyes narrow, Alistair catches her eye.“Yes, but it’s not the same as cutting your way through thousands of miles of space in the same realm.”
