staircase narrowed. They reached a platform, bathed in light, blackened by soot, and as wide as a ballroom. Taniel saw the roof arch above them and the slits of windows high up the walls.
Taniel slumped against the wall and waited for Del to catch up.
“Where?” Taniel asked when the monk arrived, panting. He lurched forward and grabbed Del by the hem of his robes. “Where? You said I could shoot from up here. Point me to some damn windows!” He shook the monk hard.
“There!” Del wailed. He closed his eyes and flung a hand over Taniel’s shoulder.
Taniel let go of Del and turned around. A chill crept over him as he reevaluated the room. A cold hand seemed to touch his heart.
This was Kresimir’s throne room. A dais lay at the end of the hall, thirteen steps up to a place where sat a blackened chair. He saw light behind that chair.
Taniel hurried up the dais steps. He passed the empty throne and found a doorless archway. He gathered his courage and entered.
The room beyond brought him to a sudden stop. He gasped, mind overcome. The room was well lit, fully furnished. Tapestries hung on the walls. There was glass in the windows, and a four-poster bed in the center of the room. Velvet-cushioned chairs and gold-rimmed tables. He’d tracked soot onto a white rug. Taniel might as well have stepped from a cave into Skyline Palace. He stumbled.
“You left Bo behind?” a female voice said.
Taniel felt faint. Julene stepped in from a balcony.
“Yes, ma’am.” Del appeared at Taniel’s shoulder.
“And the girl?” Julene said, a sneer on her lips.
“Guarding Bo.” Del stood straight, his head held high. He no longer shook. He no longer even looked like Del. The youth of his face faded, leaving wrinkles behind, and as Taniel watched, the false monk pulled a pair of Privileged’s gloves from his pocket and tugged them on.
Julene strode to Taniel. She put one finger under his chin and lifted up his head to look into his eyes. He felt ill. Dead inside.
“I had a feeling you might chase me up here,” she said. “Glad I left Jekel behind. What was his plan?” she asked the Privileged.
“Shoot enough of us to keep you from summoning Kresimir,” Jekel said.
“That might have worked,” Julene admitted. “It takes a lot of sorcery to pull Kresimir between the Nether that separates worlds.”
Taniel felt himself sway. He longed to snatch for a pistol. He might be able to at least kill the false monk. His fingers didn’t want to obey. He was defeated. He knew it.
“Why?” Taniel asked. He took a couple of breaths, trying to find the words.
“Summon Kresimir?” Julene rolled her eyes.
“No. Why this dog? Why the ruse? He could have just as easily waited and killed us all. Why not kill me now?”
Julene shrugged. “If your father manages to survive the coming pitfire, I will keep you as some leverage. He’s not resourceful, but he is stubborn.”
Taniel tried to come to terms with what she was saying. “Just kill me now,” he said.
She tapped his neck with long nails. “I will if I need to.” She raised one hand. Taniel closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them, only to receive an open-handed slap. He felt her nails rake at his skin.
“That’s for throwing me off a cliff,” she said. She turned to go.
Taniel twitched his fingers. They would move. Good. What could he do? “Going to summon Kresimir?” he asked.
Julene chuckled. “Already done,” she said. “I’m going to watch him descend. Care to come with me? The last time he touched earth, he collapsed half the mountain. You might want to find some protection in my sorcery.”
Jekel ducked after Julene with a look of concern. Taniel blinked. He set his fingers on his pistol, then followed after them.
The balcony was full of people. Two dozen Privileged, if not more. They held their eyes to the sky. Taniel was at the peak of the mighty building—or as close as one could get. He nudged his way among the Privileged and looked over the side. He stifled a hysterical laugh as he realized that there was a coliseum down by the lake. He could see right into it from this vantage point.
“Enjoy the show,” a voice whispered in his ear.
It was Jekel. The false monk gave Taniel a shallow smile.
“You disgust me,” Jekel said. “You and your kind. Kresimir will destroy the powder mages once and for all. Damned Marked.”