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Most of the buildings are small and cube-like with dark walls and roofs, while a couple are several stories tall but mimic the color scheme. One or two buildings have wild architecture—oddly shaped windows or roofs that stretch up in spikes—and one enormous building shoots up from the middle of the city like a beacon.
“What’s that?” I ask, nodding toward the enormous tower. Its walls are covered in sharp spikes and there’s a single window at the top, just beneath the roof.
“That’s where the city leader lives,” he says. “Think of it like a governor’s house. While they don’t really control what the other monsters do, they keep an eye on things and watch for invasions. Most cities have them, but every city is different and the amount of power the leaders have varies.
Rafe’s in bed with most of them and can call on them at will.”
I cock an eyebrow in his direction. “He sleeps with them?”
Elio chuckles. “I don’t want to know if he does. That would be terrifying. I just mean that he has ties to many of them. It’s part of his plan to overtake the Malevs.”
“Oh.” My eyes snap back to the tower and climb their way to the top. “You know, to be such an asshole, Rafe seems to want to protect the realm. He can’t be all bad, right?”
Elio laughs, nudging me playfully with his elbow. “I told you that you were funny. Why would someone as power-hungry as Rafe want to lead a war against evil?”
I hesitate too long, and he answers for me.
“Power. He wants other monsters to revere him, look up to him. He wants to rule them,” he explains. “So why not eliminate the biggest threat to the realm and come out a hero?”
“Damn.” I shake my head, my gaze scanning the outskirts of the city for any movement. Luckily, there’s not any. “That’s one way to do it.”
I turn back toward the black plain and see Azarius’s figure approaching. He slows down as he draws closer and walks the last several meters. He’s breathing hard, struggling to catch his breath, and his hair is a wind-tousled mess.
“You almost beat us,” Elio says smugly. “Almost.”
Azarius takes a big breath in through his nose and blows it out slowly. “I see that. I’ll try harder on the way home.”
“Is running that muchsafe?” I ask, worried Azarius might fall over dead from a heart attack at any moment.
“Safe? Sure.” He blows out a raspberry and takes another deep breath. “Easy? No.”
When Az finally recoups, the boys unzip their bags and get dressed. Elio’s wings disappear again before he pulls on his shirt, and Azarius struggles to pull his pants over sweaty skin.
I approach him cautiously, afraid to catch a rogue limb or tail as he fights to get dressed. “Do you need some help?”
He finally wiggles into them before looking up. “No, but you can help me get out of them later.”
My cheeks burn, and a smile teases my lips. “That can probably be arranged.”
Elio is pacing as he waits, his eyes darting to the nearby city every few seconds like he expects someone to come running out to welcome us. Or attack us.
“You’re making me nervous,” I tell him. “More nervous than I already am.”
“Don’t be.” He stops pacing and puts a comforting hand on my shoulder, squeezing slightly. “Everything’s going perfect so far. In a few minutes, we’ll be at Ignatius’s front door.”
I offer a timid smile to appear less worried, but fear is eating me like acid on the inside. So many things can go wrong from now until we leave the city, and it only takes one of those things to upturn our entire plan.
My confidence in our ability to pull this off is decreasing as the seconds tick by.
“Elio,” Azarius says, coming over to join us fully dressed. His backpack is slung over his shoulder, and it looks like he ran his fingers through his hair to make it look decent. When he’s close enough, he drops his voice to a whisper. “If things get out of hand, get Devyn out of here.”
Elio nods a silent response.
“Devyn,” Az says, his eyes flicking to me. “Promise me you’ll do what we ask. Run if we tell you to run. Hide if we tell you to hide.”
The last thing I want is to get separated from my protectors. I’m completely defenseless without them.
I’ve always been afraid to walk city streets alone by myself, but that’s nothing compared to being alone in the monster realm where every single other entity can kill me with their bare hands. Not to mention the extra weapons most of them have.
