Chapter 64
When the first alarm bell tolled across the city, Felix and August set off toward the tear.
It was part of the plan, but Felix still bristled at each furious clang.
They’d spent so long trying to avoid drawing the attention of the Watch, and the sound made him want to duck into a building to wait it out. It was a tough habit to break.
Dawn was breaking, but the sky was still hidden behind sullen grey clouds, the air heavy with the scent of impending rain. The city was coming awake. Shutters flew open, curious faces peering out at the sound of the bells.
As they neared the edge of the darkness, a restless mist of rain danced through the air. The temperature plunged, frigid like the necklace in his pocket, and the air crackled with an unnatural energy that raised the hairs on the back of his neck.
The edge of the tear had spread far from where it had stopped that night, and the streets here were empty, the buildings abandoned.
August’s steps faltered. Felix spun and grabbed onto his arm as his legs buckled, fighting to keep him upright.
“I need to sit,” August mumbled. “Just for a minute.
Felix lowered him carefully to the street. “Sure, yeah, grand time for a rest.” He glanced back in the direction of the alarm. The others had bought them time, but he didn’t know how much.
August folded forward, arms squeezed tight around his middle, like he was trying to hold his insides in.
Clang. Clang.
Felix searched the street, hand on his flintlock.
Finally, August looked up. “I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this.”
Felix followed his gaze up to the twisting darkness. It was a horrifying, oppressive thing that stretched beyond sight in either direction, blocking out the sky. And being this close sent fear creeping under his skin.
This thing had taken his ma from him. His home.
He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry, fighting to hold his ground against the overwhelming desire to run away.
“You caused it. You can stop it.”
After a long pause, August said, “It feels impossible.”
Clang. Clang.
“We don’t really have time for a motivational speech, Auggie. You need to do this now.”
August’s eyes flickered to Felix, then he gave a tired nod.
“Alright. Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
Felix helped him up, steadying him when he swayed.
August stepped forward and held out his hands. He looked so small against the vast spread of darkness, and suddenly Felix felt it too—the impossibility of what they were trying to do.
Come on.
He watched, helpless, as August struggled.
After what felt like an eternity, August lowered his arms. “I can’t get a hold of it,” he whispered. When he looked up, his rings shone a bright, metallic silver, eyes framed by dark veins that spider-webbed beneath his skin.
“Keep trying.”
August sighed and tried again. The strain was clear on his face, his scowl deepening with each ragged breath until, finally, he stumbled and collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving.
Clang clang.
“Keep trying,” Felix repeated, reaching to pull him back to his feet.
August shoved his hands away. “I can’t!” The words were like a gunshot resounding down the empty street.
Anger and desperation tore through Felix, hot and sudden. His friends were risking their lives for this. Marlow could be dead for all he knew, and he was wasting precious minutes standing around. It didn’t matter how impossible it felt. August didn’t get to quit. This was too important.
Felix drew his flintlock and aimed it down at his head.
August didn’t react. He didn’t even flinch. He stared up at Felix, the weight of defeat in his eyes as the glow faded.
“Do it, then,” he muttered. “I can’t fix this.”
Felix clenched his jaw, the fight draining.
August couldn’t do it. He couldn’t close the tear. They failed.
The smart thing would be to kill him, let the Watch find his body. Felix could still push on. Gather enough people. Continue with the rest of his plan. He’d have the ministry at his disposal. Maybe they’d find a solution before this thing destroyed the entire city.
He gripped the handle of the gun tight enough to make his knuckles hurt. August couldn’t fix this. They didn’t need him anymore.
Finally, his hand dropped to his side. “I’m not going to kill you.”
August studied his face, like he was searching for something in it. “Why not?”
“Because I—” Felix scowled, reaching for an answer, but finding nothing. He shoved the gun back in its holster, frustrated with himself for this weakness.
He’d never been one to back down. He would do anything to save his people.
So why couldn’t he do this?
Felix swiped the dripping strands of hair from his face. “I don’t know,” he admitted.
With a sharp exhale, August held out his hand, and Felix helped him off the ground.
He straightened, staring down the darkness like an adversary before he finally said, “Wait here.”
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t close it from here,” August said. “It’s too big. But maybe if I go to the place where it opened, I can pull it back in.”
Felix shook his head. August couldn’t go back. The last two times had left him drained, on the edge of death. He could barely stay on his feet now. What if he collapsed before reaching the market square?
What if he never came back?
“You won’t survive this,” Felix argued.
“At least it’ll save you the trouble of killing me.”
He moved to step through, but Felix caught his hand. August’s eyes fell to their clasped hands, lingered there, then rose, slow and uncertain, to meet his gaze.
Let him go.
Why was Felix stopping him? What did it matter if the Hollow Dark killed him? Why did he care if August didn’t come back?
“I’m coming with you.” Felix’s own words took him by surprise.
August’s fingers twitched against his. He tilted his head, clearly confused. “It’s too far.”
Of course, he was right. The last time Felix had traveled that distance in the Hollow Dark, it had taken an entire day to recover. This was something August had to do alone.
It took every ounce of strength Felix had to let go of his hand.
“Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Take all the glory for yourself.”
August almost smiled.
“But you’d better come back. We are not done.”
A moment of hesitation, then August vanished.
Felix walked backwards—not daring to take his eyes off the darkness, even for a second—and sagged against the damp, cold stone wall of an empty building to wait.