“Here,” Ash said.
The abandoned Darkside Cinema Palace really did blend in with its surroundings. The whole block had been painted blue. In that run-down district, a line of buildings with boarded-up windows and “Destroy All Monsters” graffiti was barely noticeable.
“You’re sure,” I said.
“Of course not.”
In the distance we could see the bridge, lit up so bright it felt like a brand-new constellation. Twilight was bleeding into evening. Snowflakes began to patter down around us. I tied Maraud to a paddock a couple blocks away, and took a deep, deep breath. Ash and I walked forward hand in hand.
Children ran past us in giant papier-mâché masks: megalosaurs, gorillas, fish men. Unmasking Day street vendors sold them in plain white, and then you bought the paints so you could decorate them yourself.
A woman at a pushcart was steaming dumplings to sell; the air was rich with the doughy warm meat smell of them.
The building was busy, for being so obviously out of service. The wide front doors were propped open. People came and went. Posters out front promised “The Truth Will Be Revealed.” Journalists stood on the steps and scribbled.
Ultramarine armbands were everywhere.
“Welcome,” someone said to us, as we approached. She handed us each a flyer. “The Revelation is upon us. Thank you for being with us for this historic event.”
I nodded. Ash sank deeper into her hood. We got through the front door, no problem, but I knew our luck would not last much longer. Security would be tighter, the closer we got to the Shield.
“Announcement is in less than an hour,” someone said.
“What are we going to do?” I asked Ash. I’d tried to ask her a couple times, on the way over. I didn’t think she was ignoring me. I think she was just as out of ideas as I was.
“This way to the assembly hall,” someone else said, and we followed the slow-moving crowd.
“We need to look around,” Ash said. “See if we can find where they’re keeping them.”
“This is ridiculous,” I said. “We have no weapons, and two magical abilities of extremely limited usefulness in a combat situation.”
“Don’t forget about my one move,” she said, grabbing me by the wrist and elbow.
I rolled my eyes.
“The weird weather’s getting weirder out there,” Ms. Jackson said, on the radio in my pocket, and the sound of her voice was comforting. “Snow reported in some places. Thunder and lightning coming in from the west. Storm giants seen all over Darkside. Dress warm, everyone heading to Unmasking Day. Rely on body heat if you need to. Hold tight to one another. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”