Page 85 of Cry of the Firebird

Isabelle turned on her heel. She had an uncertain look in her eye that Katya had never seen before.

"I'm not sure. I've been staking this place out for a few days, and there hasn't been anyone coming and going. The place is radiating with enough darkness to set my teeth on edge." Isabelle pointed at the houses around her. "Why do you think these surrounding buildings are empty? In a suburb like this, these mansions should be filled with people. This place has scared them off. Even normals can feel evil. Enough info?"

Katya nodded. Isabelle had unique talents, which gave her a hunting an edge. If she was this worried, it was enough for Katya to believe her without the proof.

"Let's go take a look." Katya pulled out her gun and looked over at Izrayl. His eyes were glowing again, and she wondered if he was using hisvolk krovisenses to get a feel for whatever lay beneath their feet.

Isabelle reached into a pocket, pulled out two small strips of metal, and expertly picked the lock to the roof access door.

"They have minimal security whoever they are," Katya commented. "No electrical trips or cameras anywhere."

"Perhaps they don't need them because people know better than to break in here," Izrayl said, pulling out one of his guns.

They stepped into the stairwell, and the hair on the back of Katya's neck rose. There was a chemical smell in the air mixed with decay and sweat. Isabelle had her knives out and ready as she moved down silently down the stairs in front of them. She opened another door, which led to the top floor. There wasn't any sound coming from anywhere.

Overturned furniture and clutter littered the three rooms, showing signs of a hurried departure.

Isabelle placed a hand on a wall and shut her eyes. Izrayl opened his mouth to say something, but Katya grabbed his arm. She had seen Isabelle do this before. Isabelle had told her that she could sometimes read objects, and Katya had never questioned her abilities.

Isabelle jerked her hand away from the wall. "Beneath us. I'm sorry Katya, I shouldn't have brought you in." Without elaborating, Isabelle strode down the stairs to the next level.

Katya hurried to catch her and was almost bowled over by the smell. Blood and decaying flesh filled her nose, making her dry heave.

"They were torturing them," Isabelle said from the far side of the room.

There were a few old metal hospital beds with corpses left on them to rot. There were chains on the walls, small tables littered with medical instruments, and what remained of what looked like a science lab.

Plastic sheeting had been hung up as a divider, and Katya carefully lifted it with the barrel of her gun. It took her a few moments to recognize what she was actually looking at. Half of the creature looked human, but one arm was the broken wing of a bird. Feathers stuck out of it in odd places, disguising most of its face. Its liquid black eye blinked, and Katya jumped back. Itmade a glutinous sound, and Katya struggled to keep her nerve. The creature before her tried again, black fluid running from its mouth.

"Kill..."

"It wants you to," Izrayl said from behind her. "Do it, Katya. It's in pain."

"I know." Katya lightly touched the feathers on its deformed face as she placed the barrel of her gun under its chin and squeezed the trigger. "Let's find the fucking bastards who did this."

Katya pushed past Izrayl and tried to spot Isabelle. She was looking at a pile of papers tacked to a wall. Some of it looked like family trees.

"These victims were from magical bloodlines," Isabelle said, her voice cold. "Obviously, they weren't getting what they wanted from them."

"But why leave the building like this?" Katya asked.

"Maybe they spotted me watching it and thought they were compromised." Isabelle handed her a piece of paper. It had a seal on it in black ink, a sword with a snarling dragon around it.

"Fucking Darkness," Katya spat. "I wonder if they have something like this in mind for Anya if they get a hold of her."

"Who is Anya?" Isabelle questioned sharply.

"She is a long story. One, I won't tell you about here."

"Very well." Isabelle collected some of the papers together and stuffed them into the front of her waistcoat.

Katya turned away from the collage of bloodlines and spotted a small door, not even a meter high on the far wall. Gripping her gun, she walked over to it. Her hand had just slid the bolt across when something burst out of it, snarling and snapping, knocking her over as she fired a shot. The creature was on top of her, its legs squeezing the air from her lungs. There was a snarl, and ablack wolf launched over the top of her, knocking the creature off. A wet shriek followed and then nothing.

Gasping for air, Katya rolled onto her side, and Isabelle helped her up. Izrayl stood over what remained of the thing that attacked her, his fur standing up high and vicious.

Katya stepped closer and studied the creature. It had patches of feathers growing out of it in places and a black beak filled with human teeth. Isabelle slammed the little door shut again and slid the bolt across.

"You ever seen anything like it?" Katya asked.

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