Page 126 of Amber Gambler

“Except Harrow didn’t tell Audrey about Farah or the others until he had no choice.”

“But I talked out Audrey’s suspicions about Little.” I groaned. “Audrey did just as Ankou predicted. Just not for the reasons he banked on.”

“Audrey has one of Harrow’s service weapons.”

How did I know that for my hallucination to tell me? Had Carter or Harrow mentioned it while I was out?

“We need to find Little before Audrey puts Little’s death on her conscience.”

The grit on my palms as I shoved onto my feet felt real, but I didn’t wholly trust my senses.

“I’ll take you to her.” Badb launched into the air. “She was hiding in the smokestack last I saw.”

“What?” A wobble in my step sent me stumbling, but I caught my balance. “I was there in my dream.”

“Ankou must have fed you sensory information about his surroundings to fool you into believing him.”

“I’m not convinced I believe in you either.” The world tipped and spun as I stood. “I’m probably in bed at the hotel with food poisoning, or maybe I slipped getting out of the shower and ended up in a coma.” I took long, slow breaths to calm my racing heart. “What’s your vote?”

“I feel rather myself, but what do I know? I’m just a crow.”

The mad dash to reach Little brought us not to the smokestack but to the main shop. With calculated lightning strikes, Kierce kept her pinned in a bricked corner. He must have herded her there while Badb went to get me. Little skittered up the wall only to be forced lower as he corralled her each time she almost broke free.

“I was going to ask why he couldn’t do it himself.” I squinted at the light show. “Now I see the problem.”

Unless he got his hands on her, he couldn’t mark her. As fast as she moved, he might not be missing her on purpose so much as she was outrunning his hits. The faint delay from when he summoned his powers to impact was seconds, but she was faster.

“Draw this sigil on her forehead in your blood.” Badb, who had been drawing in the loose dirt with a foot while I watchedKierce, pointed with her claw. “Do that, and Kierce can lead you through the chant to summon his master.”

As I pressed my left palm onto a piece of sharp metal, I began to think this was real. Likereallyreal.

If that was true, this next part was going to suck. I jogged up to Kierce, tapped him on the shoulder to let him know I was there, then ran forward with the goal of catching Little and marking her. Standing in Kierce’s path, I felt the hairs on my body rising in a static warning of the danger at my back. All I could do was trust I was safe from him and do my best to get my hands on the creepy-crawly that had once been a desperate human girl.

I darted left, she dodged right. I leapt for her, she ducked into the corner. She slithered above me, I crouched to evade her.

All the while, lightning rained down around us.

A few minutes in, we were at a stalemate. I couldn’t get closer to her without him striking me, but if I told him to lay off the juice, she would escape up to the ceiling beyond my reach then slip out and be gone. It was now or never. I would have to rush her and hope I didn’t end up chargrilled in the process.

White-hot currents of power blasted to the right and left of me, driving Little down to the floor.

A tiny break in Kierce’s flow gave me my opening to lunge at her.

I hit her hard, smashing us against the brick, and I peeled her off in a dazed bundle of limbs. I shoved her to the floor and sat on her back, limiting her reach. The takedown wasn’t graceful or pretty. But, as I scratched the scab on my palm, I called it a win.

Hoping I didn’t screw up the sigil, I dipped a finger into the glittery crimson ink in my palm to draw on her forehead. Energy stung my fingertip as I closed the design, and I slung my hand to ease the hurt.

The low chant Kierce began caused Little to thrash and scream, nearly bucking me off her.

Bit by bit, I picked up the words and cadence, and then I lent my voice to his magic.

Our harmonization struck me as more potent than anything Vi and I had ever accomplished together. He kept guiding me, leading me, and a sense of pressure releasing—that of a key turning in a lock—vibrated in my bones until I became a tuning fork for a power so vast and reaching that words failed to describe it as it pulsed in the air in time with the frantic heartbeat I felt through Little’s back.

A caw rang out, jerking my head toward Badb, who flapped her wings at me.

“Get back.” Kierce strode toward me. “You must not be touching the damned when He comes.”

Happy to do as he asked, I unclenched my thighs and began scooting back on my butt.

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