his cloak and handed it to me. As I wrapped it around me, he drew his sword and started stalking toward the walkway.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“If Samael’s true face emerged, then death is on the horizon. I don’t want to miss out.” His sword glinted in the moonlight. “I want to help cut them down.”
My stomach sank.
And before Sourial even got to the cabin deck, the door slammed open. Out ran the women, two of them spattered in blood. They were naked, barefoot, screaming in terror.
And they really wouldn’t make it long in this part of the city unless I helped them.
“Ginger!” I shouted.
Her screaming was incoherent, and she was not paying attention to me.
“Ladies!” I shouted. “Stop running. There’s as much danger in these streets as there was on that boat.”
The blonde woman was sobbing, but they stopped running, and started hugging themselves.
I pointed up at a rickety stairwell that led to the top floor of a brick apartment building. “You see the light on the top floor? Climb the stairs. My friend Daisy lives there. Tell her that Lila sent you.”
“Lila.” Ginger sniffled. “I knew that was your name.”
I put a finger to my lips. “Tell her I said you need some clothes.”
Ginger wiped the tears off her cheeks, and she looked confused. “I can’t remember what I was so scared of now.”
“It was the …” the blonde started. “Was there a man? I remember a man, and we had to get away from him.”
I pulled the cloak tight around me. “You did have to get away, and you can’t go back in there, understand? Now get up that stairwell before a bunch of unruly sailors spot us.”
I watched as they headed for the stairwell, sniffling. Thanking me. Then, the sound of masculine screaming rang out from the boat.
I whirled back to it, just in time to see the chinless blond twins running onto the deck. And behind them, Samael ran, his sword gleaming with blood. Fire burned in his eyes as he carved the sword through one man’s neck. He swung his blade the other direction, cutting down the second.
They fell dead on the deck.
My thoughts had gone numb, and I closed my eyes. Samael and Sourial were natural warriors, hellbent on crushing their enemies into dust. And that was exactly what they were doing now.
I’d keep to my task; I’d do my bit as well as I could. Make Samael vulnerable, learn the secrets of the angels so we could fight back.
From the rocking ship, screams filled the air, and nausea climbed up my gut. When I saw Samael’s face, I’d known death was near. It just turned out it wasn’t my own.
After a few more minutes, Sourial stalked off the boat again, his sword dripping with gore. He sheathed it, smiling at me. “Turned out to be a good night after all.”
I swallowed hard. “What made it so good?”
“We delivered death to those who deserved it.”
Samael followed close behind him, not meeting my gaze. His features had returned to normal—the gold had blended away, and the fire had left his eyes.
When he looked at me, I saw that only ice remained. The look in his eyes was positively glacial. He lifted his cowl, cloaking his face in darkness.
“Let’s go,” he said, more to Sourial than to me. “I’ll send someone to clean up the bodies.”
Ah. There was the man who thought he’d make me his wife.
33
Lila
It was nearly nine. Samael had left me alone in his room, with nothing but books and silence. He hadn’t said a word on our march back to the castle along the dark river walk. When we returned, he’d asked two soldiers to escort me up to this library room.
I’d found an entrance to the secret passage in the wall, behind a tapestry. And now, I would sneak into the Tower of Bones to wave to Finn.
I dropped down quietly into the grass beneath the armory window. Maybe I wasn’t as strong as Samael or Sourial, but I was bloody good at creeping around in the dark.
I scanned the courtyard closely for movements. The landscape around me was quiet as a grave. It seemed the soldiers were generally either one of two places: in their barracks, or out stalking the streets of Dovren.
Inside the stairwell, I pressed my ear to the stone, listening for any sounds of footfalls in the tower, any faint vibrations. I heard nothing. So I lit my candle, and started climbing the stairs. One