Page 13 of City of the Lost
My mouth formed an ‘o.’ “Crap. Wait. Then what the heck does the Treaty do?”
“It’s an agreement that we won’t cross the border without an official invite or authority. And yes, your Arcana Institute probably has methods in place to check that we keep to that rule, however those methods wouldn’t extend to Arcane detection of every breach of contract. That power is being hoarded for a time when there is evidence of a Draconi plot to attack. In that case, the Arcana would release a burst of magic that would wipe out the Westside completely.”
We had that much power? “I don’t understand ... if the institute has that much power, then why didn’t they just use it at the beginning, when the breach first opened and your people spilled into our world.”
Azren’s eyes darkened. “Consequences.” His lips curved in a sardonic smile. “The expulsion of that much power would probably have negative consequences for the Arcana. Maybe they’d lose their power for some time. Maybe they’d damage whatever connection they have to the arcane.” He shrugged. “Whatever the reason, they’re holding it over us as a last resort.”
It was why Elora hadn’t gone to The Collective about the rogues. She couldn’t risk them finding out that a bunch of Shedim had breached the treaty just in case The Collective saw it as an act of war. Instead, she’d sent Azren to clean up the mess and contracted him to be my employee.
Well, that explained why The Collective weren’t knocking down the door. But another question was bugging me now, one that had cropped up a week ago and never been answered. “WhyisValance helping us? Covering for us about the loss of the dagger, warning us about the contract, that kind of thing.”
Azren was silent for a long beat. “You were correct in your earlier assumption. There is no love lost between the prince and his mother. She is far from maternal.” He blinked as if surprised by the words he’d uttered. “Valance would happily act to undermine her.”
“Okay, I feel there’s more to this revelation.”
His lips twisted, and he closed his eyes, breathing evenly in and out of his nose. “There is no more that I can tell you. Just that if there is a way for him to derail her plans, then I am certain he would employ it.”
“But this was his idea. You had me by the scruff of my neck, shaking me like a bag of bones, and then Valance whispered in his mummy’s ear, and then bam she comes out with the whole contract deal.”
Azren frowned. “Maybe he merely wished to spare your life?”
“Well, there’s only one way to know for sure and that’s to get him to answer the damn question without employing any evasion tactics. He owes me.” I glanced at the clock above the cooker. “Shit, look at the time. I need to get dressed for the party.”
Azren gave me an astounded look. “You’re not seriously still considering going, are you?”
“Drop it, Az,” Trevor said. “This is the woman who got swallowed whole by a Karnworm and cut her way out from the inside. Covered in green gloop and entrails, she was. A near-death experience, it was, and what did she do? Shower, put on her glad rags, and head out for a pint. This soul sipping, it ain’t got nothing on the Bastion files.”
Oh, damn, I’d almost forgotten about the Karnworm. The ugly fucker had been snacking on the Southside canine and feline population, and it’d almost had me for supper.
Azren still didn’t look too keen. “You’re insane, you know that?”
I scooted back my chair and moved around the table. “Thanks for the memo. Look, you don’t have to come. I know it may not be your scene ... you know, all that F-U-N.”
He gave me a deadpan look. “The fun on my side of the border would probably kill you. I’m sure I can handle your definition.”
Gilbert let out a choked laugh.
“Oh, is that a challenge?” I braced my palm on the table beside him and leaned in.
He lifted his chin, meeting my glare head-on, but there was no playfulness in his expression, only a probing intensity. “It’s all right to take a moment to fall apart.”
His words poked at my vulnerable center, the part that was usually hidden under a coat of armor but that the incident with Valance had yanked to the surface. “Yeah? And how often do you allow yourself tofall apart?” Anger flared in my chest. “Just because I don’t have a dick doesn’t mean I need to melt down every time a fucking monster gets his claws into me.”
The part of me that knew he meant well was drowned out by years of instinct. When things got bad, we put on our big-girl boots and grabbed another case, and then another, until the bad feelings just went away. There was no point in dwelling on how vulnerable I’d been in response to Valance’s attack. It wouldn’t change anything. It was over. I was okay. Time to move on. I swept from the room and ran smack bang into a frail-looking woman hovering in the foyer.
“Oh, my. Oh, dear, I fear you’re closing up for the night.” She flapped her hands in agitation.
Perfect. “Hey, it’s okay. I have a few minutes. What can I help you with?”
She raised her red-rimmed eyes to mine. “Oh, my dear, I do believe I have a monster in my attic.”
4
The old lady lived alone on the edge of Southside in the ramshackle homes that were more deathtrap than sanctuary. Shingles from the roof littered the ground outside the building, and the windows were covered in grime, but despite its sorry state of disrepair, this building would have been beautiful in its heyday.
Instructing the old woman to remain outside, Azren and I headed up the worn stairs, past dust-covered frames of family portraits containing happy people and past peeling floral wall paper. We hovered under the hatch that led to the attic. I shifted from foot to foot, trying to ease the pinch in my toes. First my hands and now my feet? What was this? A late growth spurt?
“Why are we here?” Azren asked roughly. “You don’t really believe there’s a monster up there.”
