Chapter 47
Not even thirtyseconds have gone by before I hear a sound like shattering glass. I glance around me at the various parked cars when a wave of magic throws me forward. I catch myself on a concrete pylon.
What was that?I ask Memnon.
The sound of me changing my mind.
Fuck, did he knock out the ward already?
You were supposed to give me a two-minute head start. It was a paltry enough amount of time as it was.
Yes, but then I decided I’m not going to let my queen face our foes alone.
Memnon. We had a moment there and everything.
Memnon jogs over to my side, his shoes clicking against the ground. It was a good moment too, he agrees.
The pound of footfalls heading our way interrupts our exchange.
Hide, Memnon commands me, using a tone of voice he only reserves for battle.
Without thinking, I duck behind a nearby car.
I narrow my gaze at the sorcerer, who still stands out in the open. Did you have to use that tone on me?
It was effective. I wonder what would happen if we tried it in the bedroom…
I’d get violent,I say.
Well now, consider me intrigued.
Memnon’s magic billows out of him before I have a chance to respond. I hear two bodies fall.
It’s clear, Selene.
I step out just as he’s bending over two fallen guards, his magic flowing over their faces. It’s likely he’s altering their memories.
Memnon straightens, then juts his chin ahead of us. Elevators are that way.
The parking garage is unnervingly quiet as the two of us head toward them. Aside from those two guards, no one else has come to see why one of the Equinox’s outer wards was broken. That can’t be accidental, can it?
When I catch sight of the elevators, I tense. In front of them is another ward, this one a translucent crimson color filled with row after row of curling glyphs. This ward isn’t even trying to blend in. It’s meant to scare off trespassers.
What do you think this one does?
Memnon tilts his head to the side. I don’t know, but there’s some dark magic involved in it. He points to a streak of black.
I step closer, studying the lines of what must be a curse.
Memnon reaches out and touches it.
Son of a swine, he curses in Sarmatian, his hand recoiling. I watch in horror as the skin along the back of his hand splits from the tip of his finger up to his wrist. The lines of the wound spread, branching out along the initial slice as they crawl up his forearm.
I catch his arm, my magic rushing out of my palm. “Begone poisoned death that corrupts the spirit.” The incantation comes out in English, not its original Mochica, but I say the spell with conviction. “With love, I destroy you.”
As I watch, the curse disintegrates, the oily magic burning away until all that’s left is a line of bilious smoke. My magic lingers for several more seconds, resealing the cuts and healing the open wounds.
When I look up, Memnon is staring wondrously at my lips.
You remembered the curse-breaking spell, he says.
I’ve got a decent memory now.
Abruptly, he leans forward and kisses me. Thank you.
I’ve only just tasted his lips when he pulls away.
Brace yourself.
He turns from me, and I only catch the spark of power in his eyes before he slams his fist into the crimson ward.
CRACK!
The ward shatters, the energy from it throwing me back. Memnon catches my arm and saves me from falling.
Two wards broken. If the Fortunas hadn’t been aware of an attack tonight, now they surely are.
We better move fast,the sorcerer says down our bond.
The two of us head to the elevators, and I slap the down button.
I gather my magic as I wait, sure that once the doors open, supernaturals are going to pour out of it. But when it dings open, it is ominously empty. There are no people, no wards—nothing at all beyond gleaming metallic walls and another set of doors at the back of the elevator.
This is too easy,I say.
Hmm,Memnon muses.
For the first time tonight, I sense the sorcerer’s misgivings.
Ready yourself, Empress. Our enemies know we’re here, and they’re waiting for us.
With that, Memnon strides into the elevator.
I hesitate only a split second longer, mentally preparing myself for whatever battle lies beyond these doors. Then I gather my courage and follow Memnon in.
The elevator is spacious and elegant, but once the doors close, I feel like I’m trapped in a coffin.
I stare at the floor numbers, eager to be out of this box. There are sixty-two numbered floors, plus some levels marked L and G and P that for the sake of time I have to assume are not of interest to us. Then there are the subterranean floors. Naturally, the building can’t just have one basement, it has to have three. I panic and hit the buttons for them all.
Memnon arches a brow at me.
I’ve…got a plan.
The corner of his lip twitches. I have no doubt.
The elevator dings without ever moving, and the doors reopen, revealing floor B1, a.k.a., the parking garage.
From our bond, I feel Memnon’s amusement. Incredible plan.
If you have a better one, I’m all ears. I pull out my phone as the doors close, checking the time.
11:44 p.m.
Six minutes until I’m to show up at the lobby. Sixteen minutes until midnight. My legs begin to tremble as I put the phone away and the elevator descends to B2.
Steady, my queen. We’ll get them.
Do you think there will be any more wards? We haven’t come across?—
Darkness steals the last of my thoughts and my consciousness along with it. I don’t feel it when I hit the floor.