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I burst through the exit on the next floor and into the lounge of the high tower. I skid on its marble floors, nearly tripping over a leather wingback. At the same moment, the elevator doors ding and slide open to reveal Pryana. Her eyes widen at the sight of me.
“Adelice?”
“Where’s Amie?” I pant the question.
“In her room. It’s in the lower tower,” she says. “I can take you there.”
“There’s no time!” I cry. “You have to initiate evacuation procedures. Contact the Agenda. Everyone needs to get out of Arras now!”
“What?” Pryana asks.
“You have to get the citizens out and to the surface,” I say, “or everyone will die. Please. You have to get Amie out.”
Her eyebrows knit together. “I don’t understand. I haven’t received any intelligence that Cormac is taking action.”
This stops me cold. If the information had filtered to Alix, how hadn’t it reached other members of the Agenda?
“Adelice, who told you—” She cuts off as a figure sweeps into the room.
The woman’s eyes widen even as her mouth curls to reveal a toothy smile. Another Spinster might be surprised to see me, but Maela only looks delighted.
“As I suspected.” She speaks in a low hiss, her words full of the venom she’s stored up toward us.
I step forward, my fingers tingling at my side, as I plan my next move. All of Maela’s weaknesses are psychological. I don’t have to raise a hand to her when I can destroy her with a word. But before I can find the correct one, my body trembles and my stomach drops. Loricel is moving me again.
I lunge forward, hoping to grab Maela and drag her along on the rebound. She can’t prevent Pryana from warning the Coventry. I won’t let her. Pryana steps in front of me, her fingers squeezed into tight balls.
“Let me—” I start.
“I’ll finish her,” Pryana promises me as Maela’s head falls back in laughter. The sound races through my body and I try to push past Pryana as the world sparks and cracks around me. I’m moving again, and my last glimpse of the Western Coventry is Pryana charging toward Maela. If she wins, there’s hope for the Coventry, but if not, there’s no promise of help for my sister.
This time I land in a crumple next to Dante.
“That’s why we sit down,” Dante grumbles, getting to his feet and brushing off his pants.
“Are we in?” I ask him. I spring to my feet.
“I think so,” he says, pivoting to check out our surroundings.
“Wait,” I say, “this is it. I was here a few weeks ago. But where are the others?”
“I’m sure Loricel can only move so many of us at once,” he says, but his eyes dart around as we wait for Jax and Falon to join us.
After a moment, a figure rips into the room, crashing onto the floor. Jax rolls over with a groan. “That was not pleasant.”
We wait a few more minutes before I start to realize no one else is coming. “Dante,” I say softly, “Falon will chew you out if she shows up and we’re waiting around.”
Jax takes my lead. “Yeah, man. We can’t wait.”
“You’re right,” Dante says, but his eyes never meet mine. He keeps searching the air, waiting for her to appear.
Jax distributes a number of devices that look like digifiles to me, but they’re smaller.
“What are these?” I ask him.
“PTDs. Portable telecommunications devices,” he says.
“Like a walking companel?” I ask.
