Page 11 of Langiappe & Lost Legends

"Take a left here," Phi directed from the backseat. She had her nose buried in her phone. "The old Canal Street power station should be just ahead. Assuming it hasn't decided to time travel back to its glory days."

"Or fast-forward to its eventual demolition," Dani muttered from behind me. "Because that would be just our luck."

"At least the GPS is still working," Dre offered from behind Kota. "Though I'm pretty sure we just passed the same jazz club three times, and it was in a different decade each time."

"That's just Big Al's," Kota said. "Though I have to admit, seeing it cycle through the prohibition era, complete with a secret knock and everything, was kind of cool."

“Damn, I missed that,” I whined as I checked my rearview mirror to make sure Dea was still following us in her car. The last thing we needed was to part with our magical firepower because a temporal rift decided to play hide and seek with our vehicles.

The building loomed ahead like something out of a steampunk nightmare. Its brick walls were stained with decades of industrial grime. Vines had claimed large sections as their personal territory. The metal framework showed through broken windows like the ribs of some ancient mechanical beast. The whole place radiated the kind of energy that made me want to call in sick.

"Remember when we thought ghost hunting was going to be the scariest part of our job?" I asked as I parked next to Dea's car. "Those were simpler times."

"You mean a few months ago?" Dani laughed. "Before we knew about time-bending crystals and historical figure flash mobs?"

I laughed at that as we gathered our supplies from the back. After over a year of supernatural firefighting, we'd learned to come prepared. Our emergency bags were packed with everything from protective charms to energy drinks. I chugged the rest of my Monster, ignoring Dre's disapproving look. Then I moved my dagger to the back of my waistband.

"That's your third today," she pointed out.

"It's actually the second. I'll probably need a few more before this is over," I replied. "Besides, our enhanced metabolism means I'm technically operating at normal human caffeine levels."

"Does everyone remember the plan?" Dre asked as she checked her weapons. She was wise to change the subject. It was pointless to fight now.

"You mean the 'try not to die' plan?" Kota replied as she pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail. "Or the 'don't accidentally rewrite history' plan? Because honestly, both seem equally important right now."

"Both," Phi said firmly. "And remember. We're looking for a crystal that supposedly cries time. How hard can that be to spot?"

"You had to say that," I groaned. "Now we're definitely cursed. I did it to us last. Now you’ve done it."

"I brought protection charms," Dea announced as she joined us with her bag slung across her chest. "After this, we need to create some kind of temporal stabilization clock or something. We’ve got to have something to stop shit when it goes down.

“If only we were badasses like Céleste," Dani lamented.

“Are you kidding? We’re better,” I countered as we approached the front.

The entrance to the power station was partially blocked by fallen debris. It took some maneuvering but we managed to squeeze through. The interior was a cathedral to industrial decay. Enormous turbines sat silent like sleeping giants. Catwalks crisscrossed overhead. Their metal grates created strange shadows in our flashlight beams. It smelled like rust, old oil, and something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Does anyone else hear ticking?" Dani asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

We all stopped to listen. Sure enough, I heard what she was talking about. It grew as we stood there until it sounded like thousands of clocks, all running slightly out of sync. It echoedthrough the empty spaces and then bounced off metal and concrete until it seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"It's like being inside a demented clock shop," Kota muttered. "Or when we had to clear out the attic at the plantation.”

Dea shuddered and shook her body. “The space doubled as a haunted antique store."

"Don't remind me," Phi shuddered. "I still have nightmares about seeing Cami’s mom come out of the grandfather clock."

"Split up?" Dea suggested. "We can cover more ground."

"Absolutely not," I replied. "Have you never seen a horror movie? That's like asking to get picked off one by one by whatever temporal nasties are lurking in here. The Six Twisted Sisters stick together."

"For once, I agree with Lia," Dani said. "Besides, supernatural safety one-oh-one says the buddy system always wins."

A skittering sound drew our attention to the shadows beneath a nearby turbine. Red eyes gleamed in our flashlight beams. Dozens of them. The rats emerged like something from a nightmare. They were bigger than any rodent had a right to be. They even had fur that shifted to clothing. Several wore Victorian top hats and waistcoats while others had on next disco-era bell bottoms and sequins.

"Magically altered rats," Dre said with a sigh. "I cursed us with that comment, didn't I?"

"At least they're not speaking French," Dani offered helpfully.

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