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As usual, the god of safety, Malek, was painfully silent. Ace sent her own prayer up to him, desperate for whatever help she might gain. There was only the slightest string of his spirit within her, as if he’d awoken to acknowledge the request but not act on it.
I’ve always hated this city, Greshta said in her thick accent. Though Ace couldn’t see her she had the suspicion she was sticking her nose in the air. Something she thought the goddess of power often did.
You only hate it because it’s a city that honors me, Sylik retorted.
From the buildings perfectly maintained, to the handcrafted architectural designs, and the marble statues throughout the city, Sylik had to be right. This city was made to honor the god of fortune and wealth himself.
Yes, everyone here just wants to get rich. Or shall I say richer. None of them even know what it’s like to have real power.
Money is power, darling,Sylik’s voice became a purr.
You can be powerful without it. That is the point, you simpleton. Greshta sighed and Ace swore the other gods were rolling their eyes. She was rolling her eyes too. As if it wasn’t bad enough they were racing against the Fae to find Shelby, now she had to listen to this bickering.
Always with the name calling, Sylik said.
She wished she could push their voices away. Ignore them and the prayers that bombarded her at every turn. The urge to answer the petty request for more wealth burned at the back of her head. Though she excelled at ignoring prayers, the urge to answer them never went away. Ace dared a glance at Rehan who didn’t seem affected by the commotion inside his head.
For most of the walk, Ace had kept her gaze trained on the sidewalk, refusing eye contact. She looked up only once and what waited ahead of them brought back the familiar spike of adrenaline. Blood began pumping before she even put herself into motion. A familiar set of uniforms made their way toward them. The queens’ guard.
Really, she should have been surprised that she hadn’t seen guardsmen sooner.
You’re welcome, Badesh, the god of luck, chimed in.
I’ll thank you later,she hissed back in a thought before her fingers curled into the fabric of Margo’s sleeve and tugged her into the shade of the alley. Rehan, knowing every thought that crossed Ace’s mind, moved with them.
“What is it—” Margo started before a shout interrupted her.
“Hey, wait!”
Boots were slamming into the pristine walkways of Marlux. Guardsmen called out to them as they sprinted toward the narrow road between buildings the three had slipped into. This city of riches was no stranger to thieves. And Ace, Rehan, and Margo looked exactly like they’d come here to do just that.
Ace would have asked Margo to spell them into new clothes entirely that matched the uppity styles here just so they’d blend in more, but after the girl had cleaned them she looked too weak and she knew they’d have to go without. Perhaps that would have been a better option though. How would Margo outrun the queens’ guard now?
Her glowing orange eyes scanned the road and the building’s side for escape. Ramdon, the god of mischief snickered just as Ace pursed her lips and started forward. There was only one way for them to go. Up. To the rooftops that Ace had once used as her playground.
The footfalls were coming closer and they were running out of time before the guards would be upon them. Ace could only imagine that they would detain them, if not arrest them, and waste all their precious time. So exhaling the jitters of adrenaline, she pointed Margo and Rehan toward the nearest building.
“Do you see those windows? The sills are large enough you should be able to get your toes onto them. Pull yourself up until you reach that lower balcony. Then up two more windows to the top balcony and from there, we can access the roof.”
“You—you want me to scale a building?”
“Better than a wall with little to no handholds,” Ace huffed.
Rehan was already taking Margo’s hand in his. With a brilliant flash of one of his charming smiles, he lifted her to the first window sill. “Don’t worry, dearest, I’ll be behind you every step of the way. I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”
Ace held back her internal commentary. Because hadn’t he assured Ace everything would be fine before they scaled a wall together? And then she’d fallen…and broken several bones. At least she knew now that if she got hurt, her new holy fire body would piece itself back together.
“Go, go, go,” Ace whispered, trying to hurry them along. Shereallydidn’t want to have to chop these guards up with her holy fire sword. That might only draw more attention or cause more suspicion if she left two bodies in the middle of the city. They didn’t need to be charged with murder too while they were here. They just needed to lose the guardsmen and they’d be fine. There’d still be time. Or so she hoped.
Margo was onto the second window, stretching for the balcony to her left when Ace pulled herself up to the first window sill with a grunt and the guards appeared between the buildings. How many times had she done this? How often had her days been filled with close encounters with a guardsman’s sword and sprinting across slanted roofs? Too many times to count.
Though, it had been a while since she’d had to do this. Her mission with Shelby and meeting Rehan had changed everything. Suddenly she had purpose again. She wasn’t floating through her days. It came as a revelation to her as Margo flipped over the balcony railing followed by Rehan and then within a minute Ace herself.
“Don’t run!” a guard shouted. His partner cursed as he watched the three continue to climb.
They always say that as if you’ll listen. I’ll never understand humans, Nathalian, the god of nourishment said.
Ace knew he was crinkling his nose.
