He aimed his descent to land right by the very people who might have one.
Chapter 21
DAYNE LEFT MARESH’S BODY IN the mouth of an alley, as far from the chaos as he dared to go. “Stay here,” he told Lin.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I have to do something. Be safe.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Lin said. She twisted her hand—her wrists were completely raw—and pulled it out of the shackles with a subdued cry. “I should have kept him safe. I should have—”
“Not now,” Dayne said, squeezing her arm. “We will . . .” He fought the tears that wanted to flow. This was not the time. “We will mourn him and honor him after we stop these evil men.”
“Go,” she said.
He ran over to the square, not even sure where to start, what he could do. Then he saw Jerinne get knocked to the ground right in front of him, while Gurond charged off in another direction.
“That guy’s got a punch,” Jerinne said, pushing herself to her feet.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Really looking forward to spending the whole damn day in the bath after this,” she said. “Let’s put these bastards back in the ground, hmm?”
“Let’s figure out how,” Dayne said. “I’m out of my depth.” He spotted Minox and Satrine Rainey huddling behind a pile of rubble with Asti Rynax and another fellow. “Let’s go.”
He and Jerinne ran over there, knocking down a couple of the beasts that were running after the citizens of this neighborhood. Even still, Dayne wished he didn’t have to resort to that. These beasts, they had been human, altered in body by Senek, and twisted in soul by Crenaxin. Perhaps there were still good people in there, people who could be saved.
“This is a horror,” he said when he got behind the rubble.
“That’s the truth,” Asti said. His attention went to another part of the square. “Jared! Get out of there!”
The Thorn landed behind them all, bow out. “Well, this is far more interesting than class would have been.”
“This isn’t a joke,” Jerinne said.
“Levity is his weapon, Miss Fendall,” Minox said. “Let him use it.”
“We need every weapon,” Satrine said. “I called the Riot Call, the emergency call, but I haven’t heard any returns yet.”
“There’s rarely any loyalty in this part of town,” Asti said.
“And when that machine broke through, the tremors were probably felt for blocks,” the man next to him said. “Any who are nearby probably have their hands full.”
“We’re on our own,” Satrine said.
“Still, we take appropriate action,” Minox said. He stood up from behind the rubble and shouted. “Attention, malefactors! Consider yourself bound by law! Accept arrest peacefully or further force will be required to subdue you!”
Three monsters leaped at him, but they were met with savagery from Asti, Satrine, and Jerinne before any of them touched him. Satrine pulled Minox down.
“Was that really necessary?” she asked him.
“It eases my mind about the lethal force we’ll need to use,” he said.
“I’m fascinated by this use of ‘we’ here,” the other man said. Dayne finally took a good look at him.
“You’re the one from the Parliament,” Dayne said. “Who disarmed Sholiar’s machine.”
“It’s a whole reunion here,” he said. “Let’s all get a few ciders after.”
Satrine sighed. “We don’t have time for this. Verci and Asti. Satrine and Minox. Dayne and Jerinne. And Veranix in the hood.”
“Hey!” the Thorn said.
“Glad everyone knows each other,” Jerinne said. “So how do we stop this?”
It was too much, screaming and yelling and chaos and blood. Fire and magic and violence. Everyone needed to be saved. Dayne didn’t even know where to start. But he knew he couldn’t do it alone.
“Together,” he said. “Anyone have a plan?”
“Asti,” the Thorn—Veranix—said, nocking an arrow. “That’s your department.” He loosed it at one of the monsters.
“Ask me, take out that mage first,” Jerinne said. “Then mop up the rest.”
“Mister Sarren said that machine is fueled by steam and magic and I don’t even know what else,” Satrine said, loading her crossbow.
“We’re wasting time,” Minox said.
“Hush,” Asti said, holding up a finger. “You’re all right. That machine and the mage are the key.”
“Then let’s break that key,” the Thorn said, selecting two arrows. “Been saving these all day.” He nocked and loosed them; arrows flew out toward Senek and the monstrous machine. Before they struck, Senek turned, and with a wave of his hand, the arrows stopped midair.
“That’s not good,” Verci said.
Senek smiled. “So very convenient.”
The arrows started to glow, bright hot white, and turned toward the seven of them.
“Plan?” Satrine asked.
“Shields high,” Dayne told Jerinne, and he stood in front of the others.
“That’s not going to hold it,” Veranix said. “Minox, grab the rope!”
Minox did as instructed just as the hot-white arrows flew at them all. The Thorn’s rope coiled around Dayne and Jerinne, and then around the straps of their shields.
The arrows smashed into the shields, erupting in a ball of fire as bright as the sun.
But the seven of them were surrounded in a nimbus of light, red and blue and green, spreading out from the shields. Nothing touched them.
“Soon as this clears, we move,” Asti said. “Verci, you get to that machine and shut it down, sabotage it, whatever you can.”
“Fun,” Verci said.
Asti handed a sword to Minox. “Constables, you escort him in, and watch his back. Block those bastards from getting any more kids into the machine.” He handed the shackles on his hip to Satrine. “Slap these mage irons on our friend if you can.”
“My pleasure,” Satrine said. Minox said nothing, but a pulse of black energy shone from his onyx hand.
“Thorn, you’ve got speed and range. Get high, and corral those creatures back to the square. Keep it all here, away from the rest of the neighborhood. Get someone to run for constables. Girl—”
“Jerinne!”
“Get any civilians and children into the church and hold the door.”
“I should—”
