Page 82 of Kingdom of Chaos
His smile is there, but it’s dim, like a shadow of itself.
“I’m going down there,”I say. I start to stand and Talon grabs my arm and pulls me back down to my stomach.
“Freckles, you promised,” he says, giving me a stern look.
“I know, but he could be right there,” I say, pointing at the squat, three-story brick building we’ve been watching for the last several hours from the roof of the neighboring apartment complex.
A few humans came and went earlier, but even with Talon’s enhanced hearing we were too far away for him to catch any of their conversations over the constant hum of the city. Now that it’s late and nearing midnight, no one has entered or exited the building in over two hours. All this watching and waiting has gotten us nowhere, and it’s killing me to think that Becks might be so close, just out of reach, while I sit here. Doing nothing.
I know what I told Talon, but I’m done waiting. It’s a risk, but we need to get into that building and look for Becks.
“Look, there’s a window on the second floor that’s cracked open. If we climb the drainpipe, I think we can get inside.”
I’m not even finished before Talon is already shaking his head. “No. It’s too risky.”
“Well, what else are we supposed to do?” I ask, throwing up my hands. “Sitting up here has gotten us nothing. We have to get inside and start looking for Becks, otherwise what’s the point of even being here? It’s not like they’re going to walk him out the front door. If he’s in there, we need to act. It’s a risk, but it’s one we have to take.”
From the look on Talon’s face, I can tell he’s not convinced, so I try a different approach. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go in alone. I want his help, but I don’t need his permission.
“What are you worried about anyway?” I ask. “They’re just humans. They don’t have magic, butwedo. If it comes down to it, we can easily overpower them.”
I’m confident I can handle myself physically, but when I talk about magic I really just mean him. I still can’t use my new powers reliably.
“What am I worried about?” he asks. He lifts the bottom of the shirt high enough that the edges of the gauze and tape he has covering his gunshot wound are visible. “I’m worried that they’ll have guns and they’re going to shoot first and ask questions later.”
Right. I forgot about that.
Getting to my feet, I twist out of the way when Talon reaches up to grab me again.
“Listen, I came to this world to save Becks, and to do so I need to know if he’s in that building or not. If he isn’t, then we’re wasting time looking for him in the wrong place. I’m going in. You can come with me or stay here. Your choice.”
I turn away and head for the fire escape we used to climb onto the roof. Behind me, I hear Talon’s frustrated sigh, followed by the crunch of his footsteps as he moves to follow.
“Wait up,” he says, and when I peek over my shoulder, he’s jogging to catch up with me.
“Glad to see you’ve come to your senses,” I say with a grin, knowing I’ve won.
He chuckles and rolls his eyes. “You’re going to be the death of me, Freckles.”
My insides clench, feeling like my breath was stolen from me. I know he meant it as a joke, but Imogen’s warning that I’m going to get Talon killed is still fresh in my mind.
“What?” he asks, noticing the change.
I shake my head. “Nothing. Just, don’t do anything stupid when we get in there.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Me?”
“Yeah,” I say, my mood dipping. The last thing I need is another creature’s life on my conscience.
Short hairsthat have escaped my ponytail cling to the sides of my damp face as I haul myself through the window and into the Order’s headquarters.
I’m drained, both physically and mentally. Climbing the drainpipe without being spotted by either passersby or any of the security cameras we identified meant I had to keep us hidden in shadow the entire way.
It took nearly half an hour just to summon the shadows, even with Talon’s help, and even longer to hold them steady as we climbed. The strain of holding the shadows in place has my limbs trembling and my head throbbing.
I glance up and look around the room I’ve just dropped into. I think it’s a small office. The lights are off, but city glow spills through the window, enough for me to make out two desks pushed against opposite walls of the narrow room. One is immaculate, the other buried under a mess of papers and candy wrappers.
I lean against the wall to catch my breath as I wait for Talon to slip through the open window behind me. The moment he does, I release my hold on the shadows cloaking the alley and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
