on the bottom of the bomb. As I gently placed it in the drawer, affixing it to the wood, my breath shallowed. This was the most dangerous part—pinning the string into the back. If I pulled it too tight, the bomb would go off. If I opened the drawer, the bomb would go off. And if I jostled the switch while I was pinning it in—you guessed it—the bomb would go off.
So I closed the drawer part way, then slid my hand inside with the pin. I held my breath, thinking of Alice. At last, the pin pierced the soft wood at the back. Now, to get my hand out without setting it off.
My throat tightened, and I moved my arm slowly, carefully, trying to still the shaking, but my hand was trembling like I was Finn. Don’t touch the switch, Lila.
Only when my hand was out did my chest unclench a little. I unleashed a long, slow breath and closed the drawer.
For just a moment, I closed my eyes, catching my breath. I could see Alice vividly in my memories. When I was five and she was six, she painted a king and queen on our wall. We had no toys, and it was supposed to liven up the tenement. They were horrific things with spindly fingers and crowns of golden spikes, but I loved them anyway, since she’d been trying to cheer me up.
Samael’s death wouldn’t bring her back, of course, but it would stop the next Alice from meeting the same fate.
But before I even left his room, I felt it—Samael’s fiery power moving closer, skimming along the stones beneath me.
I popped up and blew out the candle, then snatched the briefcase from the ground, and rushed for the tapestry. Sliding behind it, I opened the door into the passageway. I dropped the briefcase so I could run as fast as possible.
Then I broke into an all-out sprint through the darkness.
45
Lila
Part of me wanted to stick around, to see if I would hear a blast. But that was a terrible idea for a number of reasons. So I forced myself to run.
Except I felt this terrible sense of wrongness. I was destroying something divine.
I supposed no one said war was easy.
So I simply pressed on. Escaping the castle again wasn’t hard. The magical cloud of nightshade had been so powerful, the soldiers were still unconscious. All of them—every soldier in the courtyard. I scaled the wall easily, then moved quietly, stealthily through the streets.
There were soldiers out here looking for me, but it was easy enough to evade them. I took the side streets, the alleys, and I slunk in the shadows.
I’d never assassinated anyone before, but this I was good at. Blending in. I tried to keep moving so I wouldn’t give in to the sharp, agonizing grief I felt, like my heart had been carved out.
When I got to the music hall, I lingered in the shadowy park opposite for a few minutes, looking for Finn. He’d said he would be working the door tonight, but he wasn’t. It was a guy with ginger hair I recognized, but I didn’t know his name.
Odd. Where was Finn? I wanted to tell him what had happened.
A lump rose in my throat. Something was … wrong. Had the Clovians found him? Were they rounding up the Free Men?
A little panic started crackling through my body, and now I needed to know Finn was fine.
From the shadows behind the line of trees, I scanned the street. If Clovian soldiers were inside right now, I’d see the dancers and revelers streaming out, looking panicked.
When I saw two women striding out laughing, I thought it must be fine in there.
I rushed over to the doorman and nodded at him. Smiling, he pulled the door open, and I hurried inside.
First item on the agenda, find Ernald, ask why Finn wasn’t here. A sense of dread was coiling around my ribs.
I tuned out the music, the dancing, and I pushed my way through the crowd.
I slammed the door to Ernald’s office open. I found Zahra there, too, sipping a cocktail.
“Where’s Finn?” I blurted.
The real Zahra raised an eyebrow. “Nice to see you too. We were just discussing Finn.”
“What exactly are you doing here?” Ernald snapped. “Why aren’t you at the castle?”
“Sorry, but …” Make up a lie. “I had a night off.”
“A night off? You expect me to believe that?” Ernald, unfortunately, always saw through my bullshit.