Heart of Vengeance (Alice Worth #6) - Lisa Edmonds Page 0,128

the train, it accelerated away, banking sharply and heading back across the lava toward the very distant horizon. Thunder rumbled and purple lightning flashed across the sky, which was black and streaked with red. The ground shook, dislodging small rocks that rolled down the hill and caused me to stumble.

Ronan spread his hands. “Welcome to Edis.”

“At least it’s a dry heat,” Lucy said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “You sure this isn’t Hell?”

“Very sure.” Ronan and Daisy led the way up the hill toward the wall. Lucy stayed on our six, sword in hand as she scanned our surroundings for potential threats. I envied how easily they climbed, while I huffed and puffed and panted and stumbled over the rocks. Neither of them offered to help, which I simultaneously appreciated and resented. Being a prideful human was complicated.

When we reached the wall, Ronan led us along its perimeter for about a hundred feet until we found a large rock against the stone wall. On the other side of the rock, hidden from view until we were right in front of it, a long, deep crack ran up the wall, forming a dark tunnel. Cool air drifted out, along with the unmistakable urban sounds of conversation, strange music, and wheels rattling on stone.

Lucy raised her eyebrow. “A secret passageway? Seems too easy.”

“Those who run Edis understand the importance of smuggling to the city’s economy.” Ronan raised his hand and used his ball of light to illuminate the empty passageway. “These tunnels are for commerce. They’re the city’s most well-known secret. Getting in is rarely a problem. Getting out…now that’s usually a lot more difficult.”

“Fantastic,” I said. “Well, then let’s get in there and find some Furies, shall we?”

25

Except for the dragon patrolling the wall, the Underworld creatures walking the streets, and the perpetually black-and-orange sky, Edis was like any big city I’d visited: dirty, crowded, noisy, and full of unexpected dangers.

We emerged from the not-so-secret passageway into a dark alcove behind market stalls selling bread, roasted meat, and weapons. Narrow alleyways branched off in several directions, disappearing into the maze of the market and the buildings around us.

Creatures of every size, shape, description, and smell packed the market, talking, laughing, shouting, growling, and arguing in a dozen languages, none of which I knew. I spotted a few humans among them—or beings in human form, in any case. All the competing magics and the fact most of the beings around us weren’t alive in the strictest definition of the word made it nearly impossible for me to know for sure what anything was.

As we entered the market, two vendors and several of their customers were embroiled in a fight that had resulted in bloody injuries and damage to nearby stalls. It came to a quick halt when three very large creatures in black moved in and separated the combatants, who shouted at each other as they were dragged away in opposite directions. We used the distraction to slip out of the passageway and blend into the crowd.

The noise and chaos were overwhelming, especially after our very quiet train ride and several days in Lucy’s jeep. Ronan didn’t give me time to get used to the sights, sounds, and smells of Edis. After taking a moment to look up at the towers and wall and orient himself, he headed off into the crowded market with Daisy at his side. Most shoppers and porters took one look at his imposing robed figure and Daisy’s glowing eyes and got out of their way. Lucy and I followed in their wake, moving unnoticed through the crowd.

My skin prickled and my stomach churned from the masking and Look Away spells I wore. The former was my own spell, held in a crystal in my left arm cuff, and the latter one of Carly’s amulets, which I’d invoked and hidden in one of my pockets. On Ronan’s recommendation, I’d given one of each to Lucy as well to hide her. Word would travel fast about anyone arriving in the city, so the longer she and I could stay unnoticed, the better.

He made little effort to hide his own identity, however, and Daisy certainly garnered the attention of everyone we passed. I thought of Charon’s revelation that Ronan had a price on his head. Someone else might have chosen to keep a low profile, given the circumstances, but not Ronan. He wasn’t about to keep his head down or avoid a fight. I was dying