on the far side of the building. It was larger than the one we’d come up in, and clearly for freight. Storage boxes were stacked beside it, and a few sheet-draped pieces of furniture. Landon had been redecorating maybe.
“Trent,” I whispered, and he left the hidden hearth, his phone angling about to light the odd slice of attic. There was a call button, but using it might have triggered security. There wasn’t even a lock on the elevator cage, and when I shook my head at Trent’s offered hand, he tapped his phone off and lifted the hatch to the maintenance ladder. Together we looked down into the darkness. The elevator car was somewhere in the shaft. I only hoped it was below where we needed to be.
“Watch your step,” Trent whispered as he started down. Jenks wasn’t dusting, and I didn’t like that he was still on my shoulder instead of lighting our way.
“Jenks, how’re your temps?” I whispered as I gripped the ladder and found the first step.
“Not good,” he admitted, and I moved faster.
The echoes of our scuffing feet hissed as Trent and I descended into the cold shaft that had never seen sun. I was never going to risk Jenks like this again. This was beyond reasonable expectation. We could’ve waited for nightfall and Bis.
“I think this is the right door,” Trent whispered, and I scraped to a halt, arm hooked on the ladder as I leaned to look down. “Jenks, you want to do a quick recon?”
“No, he doesn’t,” I said, but Jenks had already lifted off, his dust utterly absent as he dropped the six feet to where Trent had wedged the silver doors open a crack. He vanished into the sudden light, and Trent let the door shut, sealing us back into the dark.
“It’s warmer in the hallway,” Trent said, and I nodded, only now understanding.
“How are you doing?” Trent asked, his soft voice whispering up from the dark, and my foot scraped on the ladder.
“Me? I’m fine.” I stifled a shiver, more than a little jealous of how Trent never seemed to feel the cold. It was an elf thing.
“Ah, I didn’t mean it when I asked if you were breaking up with me.”
“I know.” I was glad it was dark, and I shifted, uncomfortable. My fingers were beginning to cramp up from the cold, and I tried to flex them as I hung there.
“You just surprised me. Bringing up Ellasbeth like that.”
I grimaced, not wanting to talk about it, my arm aching and worry pinching my brow. “Jenks should be back here by now,” I said, and Trent sighed, silent as he wedged the silver doors open again. Relief filled me when Jenks darted in, his dust lighting the shaft when Trent let the doors shut and entombed us in the dark. “Well?” I asked as Jenks lit on Trent’s shoulder.
“Empty hallway,” he said, his dust already beginning to dampen. “I’m guessing Landon’s apartment is around the corner since there’s a big man standing in front of the door playing on his phone, but if you’re quiet, he’ll never hear you getting out of the shaft. Easy stuff.”
Which is right about when it falls apart, I thought as Trent wedged the door open wide enough to slip through. Cold, I unhooked my arm and went down the last few rungs. Trent took my hand, and I almost fell as he pulled me into the hallway. “You good?” he asked when I found my balance, and I flashed him a smile.
“Let’s do this and get in a tub of warm water before the curse wears off,” I said, and he managed a smile as well.
Jenks was hovering at the ceiling to peek around the corner, and at his gesture, both Trent and I angled for a quick look-see. As Jenks had said, there was one guard outside a pair of elaborate double doors. The heavy man practically reeked of magic, and several amulets showed against his security-black slacks and shirt. There was an actual gun in a side holster, and I felt my bag for the outlines of my splat pistol. It was magic without using the lines, and my adrenaline spiked.
“Zack’s code better be good,” Jenks grumped. “Give me a second, and I’ll lure him down the other hallway. You can slip in with him none the wiser. Panel is by the door.”
“Got it,” Trent said, focused on the guard. “Ready?”
“If Jenks is,” I whispered, gauging Jenks’s color to be good.