Bitten in Two

“To where?” Vayl asked.

“I’l cast a Hand on the roof of that building,” Sterling said. “Stand inside the palm and only one of them can attack you at a time.”

“Done.”

We charged through the doorway, but as soon as we were inside Vayl paused, causing a major traffic jam. He spun around. “Jasmine, you must stay behind.”

“What?” I was so shocked I didn’t even care that I sounded like a strangled chicken.

“The Rocenz is somewhere in that rubble. We can give you the time you need to find it. And I am concerned about the kloricht receiving reinforcements. We know a human had to cal this group. Nothing and no one but you can stop them from repeating the summons.”

“They could be in an entirely different city, you know that!”

“I think not. In fact, to cal demons from a canal, I believe our human must be very near the spot. Practical y standing on top of it, in fact.”

“That’s right, I’d forgotten. But we didn’t see anybody on the way—” Shit. Yousef and Kamal! I wished my guys good luck and sprinted out the door, understanding that their lives depended on me doing my best work tonight.

A second explosion knocked me to the ground. It had begun.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I stood up and peered back through the new gap in Vayl and Cole’s building where a huge chunk of the wal had blown away. Through it I could see the canal spouting a geyser of bluish orange flames twenty feet high. If I looked harder I could see faces in the flames, screaming in ecstasy as they swam toward freedom. And then, fal ing from the sky like a net of stars, came Sterling’s reply. As soon as the connected bal s of shimmering light hit the fire they exploded, sending my butt back to the ground and my hands over my head. As if my frail little arm bones could real y protect me from flying timber.

When I looked again Sterling’s spel had reduced the geyser to a fountain and the faces inside it were screaming.

“Demons closing on your building,” Sterling said, sounding out of breath and slightly gleeful.

“Nice shot,” I heard Vayl say. “How soon can we expect them?”

“Three minutes.”

“Sterling,” I said. “Can you see any other movement in or around the tannery? I’m looking for humans now.”

“So I heard. I’ve got nothing but soul-snorters—wait a minute. Some idiot just came out of the building east of the canal. Dressed like a man. He’s moving toward the rubble.

Can you see him?”

“Not from here. Which is a bad spot anyway, considering. I’m changing positions.”

I couldn’t slip around behind the man. There just wasn’t enough room between the rampart wal and the vat for the shadows to hide me. So I moved past him on the north side, crouching low enough for a long line of hide-covered tanks to disguise my scuttling outline. I ended up in front of the building he’d just left. I stil couldn’t see him. But I caught sight of the kloricht and Kyphas, moving quickly from vat to vat, closing in on Cole and Vayl like a fatal disease. And the worst part? We’d been right. They’d had two extra guards, maybe standing with the ship they’d sailed in on.

But now, with so much at stake, they’d put al their forces into one concentrated attack. Sun Tzu would not approve.

My quarry had to have heard the demons, but he didn’t seem to care. He was bent over the lid’s remains, avoiding random droplets from its fountaining fire, ignoring the howling faces and scrabbling claws of the demon host straining to be free as he searched through the debris. The depth of the alcove partial y blocked my view, and I didn’t dare twitch now that the kloricht were close enough to sense my movements. So I tracked Kyphas’s summoner as long as I could, and when he strayed out of view I watched the demons he’d invited into our world.

Though they’d taken basic human forms, they stil managed to look comfortable walking on al fours. Probably because it al owed them to jut their chin barbs out as far as physical y possible. Their silver mohawks shone in the moonlight as they turned to talk to one another, their whispers sounding like the hiss of steam escaping an overpressured valve.

I opened my mouth to tel Vayl he had company, but Sterling was on the bal . “Okay, you two, visitors entering the ground floor. I count five plus the demoness. You’re standing right in the center of the Hand now. As long as you’re there, you won’t be outnumbered. So stay cool. And I’l see if I’ve got something up my sleeve that can zap them without frying you guys at the same time.”

“Thank you, Sterling,” said Vayl, his tone nearly as calm as our warlock’s. “We appreciate it.”

I wanted to rush the dude stil rifling through the broken lid pieces and bits of building rubble, but I knew I had to wait until the demons were committed. Three minutes later I heard the clash of steel and Cole yel ing. My whole upper body twitched against the wal .

“Jaz, don’t move,” said Sterling. “Somebody else just walked into the ruins.”

“What are you doing here?” asked Kamal. In English.

“What do you think?” answered Yousef. Also in English.

What the fu—

“I think you’re never going to keep it without a fight,” said Kamal.

“Come on, then.” I imagined Yousef flicking his fingers toward himself, probably hoping Kamal would beat him badly enough that he’d at least get some fun out of it.