“Can you move?” she asked Minox.
He nodded. “But I cannot extract myself from this infernal device.”
Jerinne grabbed hold of his waist and tried to pull him. His hand wouldn’t budge from the machine.
“Worthy vessels!” Senek shouted.
“Worthy vessels!”
Blue and purple lightning sparked all over the chamber. Jerinne looked up and saw that it surrounded Crenaxin, surrounded the old men in the cages. The entire room, as the lightning struck all the grotesques as well.
The Thorn appeared behind Jerinne. “I’ve got your friends secured away in the tunnel. We need to move.”
“He can’t!” Jerinne said.
“Leave me,” Minox said. “Maybe I can—”
“Not an option,” the Thorn said. He touched Minox’s wrist and furrowed his brow. “Come on!” Then he yanked his hand away, like he had been burned.
The lightning sparked and popped all around, forming chains of fire between each of the grotesques. All of their bodies began to shift and change. Lightning sparked back to the machine, knocking Jerinne’s shield.
“I’ve got an idea,” the Thorn said. His rope coiled around Jerinne, up to her shield, and back down around Minox. “Hold on.”
“What are you—”
“This might get uncomfortable.”
A green and red nimbus surrounded the three of them, as the purple and blue lightning exploded in fire, but none of it touched them. The light of it all was blinding, and the Thorn and Minox both screamed.
Then in a flash, it stopped.
Jerinne looked to Minox, whose hand was free of the machine. Both he and the Thorn were breathing hard, but the Thorn had a smile on his face. Then he looked past Jerinne and his face fell.
“We need to move quickly.”
Jerinne turned and saw. The grotesques were no longer misshapen abominations. All of them had become beasts similar to Gurond—monstrosities with wide jaws, spiky skin, and clawed hands. All of them looked up and howled.
“Worthy! Worthy! Fuel for the fire!”
Jerinne lowered her shield and raised her sword. She would get these two out of here.
Whatever it took.
“Come on, come on,” Dayne told the kids as they moved through the dark tunnel. “We have to hurry.”
“Where you taking us?” one of the kids whined.
“Why should we go with you?”
Dayne remembered the Thorn’s inspiration to get the young baron to move. “Tomorrow is Terrentin. We need to get you home so Saint Terrence can find you.”
“He never finds me,” one kid said.
“I’ve never gotten a Terrentin present,” said another.
“You’re definitely getting one now,” Asti said. “We’re getting you out of there, getting you safe, and hopefully getting you home.”
“I ain’t got a home,” one of them said.
“We can’t trust these guys,” another said.
“Yeah, we can,” one kid said. “That’s Mister Rynax. He’s a tough bastard, but he’s a good guy.”
“Telly?” Asti asked. “That you?”
That kid stepped forward. “Yeah.”
“Tarvis sent me to find you,” Asti said. “All of you.”
“Tarvis is all right?”
“He’s up at Kimber’s,” Asti said.
“Let’s get you all there,” Dayne said. “Bet she’s got a Terrentin Eve feast planned. You all are hungry, right?”
“Starved,” Telly said.
“Then let’s move,” he said. He could hear echoes of thunder, deep booms of power and magic raging in the distance. He wanted to turn back, help Jerinne and the Thorn, but the kids were his charge right now. Trust in them. Protect the children.
Asti took the point, finding the path he had marked on his way in. He led with quiet confidence, an odd calm, despite the blood on his face and hands. Dayne took the rear, expecting a rush of zealots, or even Gurond, coming to reclaim the stolen children.
“Someone’s ahead,” Asti said. “I’ll take him down.”
“Wait,” Dayne said. He moved a little ahead, calling out, “Drop any weapons you have, you’ll be treated fair.”
“Dayne?” a voice called back in the darkness.
“Hemmit?” Dayne called back.
Hemmit came up to them, looking exhausted and haggard. “Thank every saint you’re all right!” he said.
“Alive and uninjured,” Dayne said.
“And you found Rynax,” Hemmit said. “And the children!”
“Where’s the baron’s son?” Dayne asked.
“Safe at Kimber’s,” Hemmit said. “I got him there, and came back to help you all.”
“We’ve got to get these kids out of these tunnels,” Asti said. “You’re not lost, are you?”
“Not at all,” Hemmit said.
“Good,” Asti said. “Get these kids out, get them to Kimber’s. Tell her I’m on my way.”
“What are you going to do?” Dayne asked.
He tapped his head. “This part of my skull is screaming about going to the Dragon, and I can hear something awful happening back there. I bet the Thorn is in over his head. I’ll go pull him and the others out.”
Dayne nodded. Jerinne was there, and as good as she was, Dayne knew she wasn’t prepared for what was happening down here. She needed help. Maresh and Lin and Minox Welling—especially Minox Welling—needed help.
“Get them out, Hemmit,” Dayne said. “Tell them a story about Terrentin.”
“Got it,” Hemmit said. “Come along, all. We’re going to be free and rejoice, rejoice, rejoice!”
“Let’s go, Dayne,” Asti said. “Time to be a hero.”
Dayne didn’t know about that. He certainly didn’t think he deserved such a title. But people needed help. If what he understood about that machine and Crenaxin’s intentions was correct, and the Brotherhood wasn’t stopped, the whole city would need it as well.
Chapter 20
“EXPLAIN TO ME WHY YOU aren’t calling in every damn constable in whistleshot,” Verci asked Inspector Rainey. Not that he had any fondness for the Constabulary, including Rainey, but if any time seemed like an opportune moment to call them in, this was it. Assuming Delmin and Kaiana weren’t delusional, there was a literal army of zealots and monsters—monsters, the girl had said—beneath the city, and a giant magical machine that was about to launch some bad business. And all he was doing was following an off-duty inspector down Bridget Street.
“Matter of trust,” Rainey said. “The Constabulary has been infested with corruption, and it ties to the Brotherhood, to
