Page 120 of Amber Gambler

“Get behind me.” Carter shoved me back, covering Harrow as he cleared the living room. “Upstairs.”

The two officers rushed the stairs toward the source of the screams, leaving Kierce and me on the front porch.

A dull thump drew my attention to the building next door in time to see Little climb over the roof.

“Definitely not human,” I muttered, tugging on his arm. “Come on.”

Kierce’s eyes grew mirror bright as Badb sped past in pursuit of the girl.

All I could do was run after him when he broke into a sprint to keep up with Badb’s reporting.

As we ran, I sent Carter updates using voice to text so they could catch up to us, but I couldn’t risk taking my eyes off Kierce to check for replies. He was zoned out again and not responding to my voice or touch.

We trailed the creepily nimble girl to the end of West Harris Street where she leaptacrossPurse Street. I gawked as she hit the roof of the Georgia State Railroad Museum and clamberedout of sight. The feat made me dizzy for a spell, and I wasn’t even the one who had done it.

Thanks to my years of practice climbing the gates at Bonaventure, I didn’t slow down when I hit this one. I was over it in a minute, and Kierce was already running when my shoes hit pavement on the other side.

Too bad no one had left a toddler leash at the shop. I sure could use one right about now.

We veered into the old brick Central of Georgia Railway Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities.

The museum was lauded as the most complete antebellum railroad complex in the United States, which was nice and all, but it gave Little endless places to hide in train cars and behind heavy machinery.

For it to be this quiet, the place must be closed today. Thank heaven for small mercies.

Little’s mad dash must have ended overhead. Kierce hadn’t moved since?—

Never mind.

There he went again.

Glass shattered above us, and Kierce plunged through a cut-out in the brick wall into a courtyard where a freestanding smokestack towered over the facilities. Easily a hundred feet tall, maybe more, I pictured Little as King Kong swatting biplanes while hanging off the chimney that formed the majority of the historic structure. Below it sat a water tower. I think. Probably? The bottom section were fancy privies. And I do meanfancy. As in sixteen buttresses framing brick barrel vaults that housed the former latrines. Back in the day, they had been the height of luxury.

When Kierce didn’t budge for a hot minute, I ran a circle around the smokestack but couldn’t spot Little. However, I did see Harrow and Carter, which was almost as good.

“Where did she go?” I watched as Badb landed on top of the chimney. “I don’t see her.”

A slow blink later, Kierce’s eyes were gray rather than silver, and he answered me. “She went inside.”

Only one of the sixteen chambers remained open to the public for viewing. A quick check inside proved, unless Little leapt into the ancient drain leading into the cistern, she hadn’t gone that way. The pipe was wide enough, three feet or so in diameter, but the bottom was clogged with dirt and debris.

Warmth encased my spine as Harrow joined me in the tight confines of the privy. “There’s magic here.”

Hope thumped hard against my ribs. “Can you tell where it’s originating?”

“I’ll need a closer look.” He leaned against me, into me, and his breath hit my ear. “The drain.”

“Back out,” I said tightly, “and I’ll get out of your way.”

“Sorry,” he murmured, withdrawing much faster than he wedged himself in.

Outside I breathed easier as Harrow returned for whatever the inspection required of him.

“So.” Carter sidled up next to me. “Burst into spontaneous foreign languages often?”

“This would be a first.” I wondered what other surprises were in store for me if Kierce was right about me metamorphosing. “What did it sound like?”

“Water flowing over stones,” she said without hesitation. “Fluid. Very fluid. Unearthly.”

---