Forty-Two

 

We couldn’t just drop down into the building we were on top of. The military guys were already storming their way up through it. The sniper on the building next to us was slowly looking around, trying to pinpoint exactly where we were. I didn’t think Gray’s shield would hold up to a bullet from that particular gun.

The rooves were open and exposed with only small chimneys and outcrops from attic windows to hide behind.

“How are we supposed to deal with the snipers?” I hissed.

None of us had anything long range that I knew of, and there was no way in Hell we were going to get across the roof to him without being shot.

“Shadow,” Gray said softly.

I blinked and looked at him.

“Fire will draw too much attention, but your shadow would look like, well, a shadow,” he said.

“You can do it, Niko, but you don’t have much time,” Alasdair said.

We had maybe ten seconds to get onto the next roof and start running from the military guys who were storming up through the building we were on.

“There has to-“

“There’s no other way,” Alasdair said as he took my hand in his.

“Fuck,” I growled.

“No pressure, but we have maybe five seconds,” Gray said.

“You’re going to have to do it on the run,” Alasdair said.

We kept our bodies low and started jogging across the rooftop. The shadow slipped into my hands, and I focused on the sniper while trying to keep up with the others. I swore the sniper felt it the moment I pressed the shadow towards him with my mind. The slippery ribbons of shadow eagerly did my bidding and slithered down the sniper’s throat. He gasped and clawed at his face before I had to look away to jump onto the next roof.

A shot rang out not far from our heels. We needed to move faster and get to better cover. I let the shadow go and ran as fast as I could, keeping close to Alasdair and Gray as we ran for our lives.

My wolf loved the thrill of the run as we ran as fast as we could, leaping between the rooves and buildings and ducking behind chimneys to make sure we weren’t seen. I kept my ears pricked, listening for a helicopter, but it never came, thank the goddess. It was one thing to out-run people on foot. We’d be completely screwed if they called in air support.

We circled around behind the military guys and ran back the opposite direction, trying to lose them. They must have been sent by the alchemists’ council; that fireball must have been some alchemical concoction. Maybe it had come from the hellhound they had locked up there.

Grayson had a huge grin on his face as he panted for breath when we finally found a door we could go through. The military guys hadn’t been seen on the rooftops or down below us for a good fifteen minutes. We were safe.

“Why the sweet fuck did the alchemists call in the human military?” I asked as I caught my breath.

“I’m going to make some phone calls and find out,” Alasdair said.

None of us could keep the grins off our faces. I can’t say I wanted someone pointing a gun at me any time soon, but the run was exhilarating.

Alasdair pulled out his phone and started making calls while Gray and I looked out onto the street for any signs of the guys in black. Everything looked normal, as long as we ignored the increasingly irate woman who was shouting at us in Romanian. She tried shooing us out onto the street with a wet mop, and I realised we’d left dirty footprints all over her clean floor. I held up my hands and tried to apologise in Hungarian. It was the closest I could get.

We casually walked down the street and headed into a quaint little cafe where we ordered everything on the menu and waited for Alasdair to finish his phonecalls.

“The alchemists guild told the military guys they have connections with that we were planning on planting a bomb,” Alasdair said quietly.

I looked him up and down. “I have to be honest, it seems a real waste to get dressed up in that pretty suit to go and plant a bomb.”

He fought to keep the smile off his face and failed. I grinned at him and took a big drink of the coffee the waitress had placed in front of me.

“We can’t go back to the hotel. There’s a risk they’ll expect us there. We’ll find some other accommodation and try to get into that building tonight. They’re hiding something, and I expect this map they gave us is bullshit.”

I curled my lip, which made the waitress take a big step back. I gave her a sweet smile and gestured for her to place the food down on the table. Three more rounds of plates came out. We had a wide range of breads and meats to choose from. I bit into the sausage closest to me and found it to be mildly spicy and rich.

“We’ll have to get you some normal clothing, you’re going to stand out in your suit,” I said to Alasdair.

He sighed and took a bite out of a bread roll without saying anything.

“What are we doing about the guild?” Gray asked.

“Saoirse will handle the politics there,” Alasdair said.

“Do we have any other leads?” I asked.

“The hedgewitches, and if we need to, the local part-breds will know,” Alasdair said.

I growled to myself. It felt like we’d taken far too many steps backwards. There were lives on the line, and the alchemists had made a bold move to block us from saving them.

 

 

Alasdair had bought a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. He looked a little heartbroken to throw away his suit. I almost felt bad. We waited until 11:00 that night to return to the building. After circling around the block twice and checking no one was watching the alley or the door, we made our way inside. My wolf night sight kicked in, and I saw a barren space with dirt on the tile floors and soot marring most of the walls. We made our way slowly through the space looking for anything that could help us find the alchemists.

The back room was strewn with the burnt remains of plants, broken glass, and bones. My stomach turned as I saw a delicate silver ring that was small enough to fit a young teenage girl’s finger. The bones were charred and scattered around the floor. Everything was in disarray. The few books that were left were written in Romanian. Gray said they were on obscure alchemy. Alasdair paused by the bones and frowned.

“Gray, do you think these came from one of the beings used to make the Tempo? Kadrix said those that were infused with too much magic burnt up, correct?”

Gray took some photos and sent them over to his uncles.

We circled around the room and poked in the cupboards and small dents in the wall only to find more soot and bone shards. Nothing of value or use.

“There has to be something,” I said, looking around us.

“Kadrix got back to me, confirmed your suspicion. That was once a witchling they put too much magic into and they burnt up which resulted in the Tempo,” Gray said with a deep sadness.

I was horrified. What twisted mind had come up with such a thing?