Page 65 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
I had no plans to do any such thing. It was pitch dark outside and I reckoned I could snooze for a good few hours before I had to get up. This was more like the early retirement I’d anticipated; this was what I wanted.
I turned over and buried my face in my pillow.
Thump.
‘What the hell was that?’ I muttered and covered my ears.
Thump. Thump.
Damn it. Go away.
Thump. Thump. Thump.‘Kit! Wake up! Open the door!’
I sat bolt upright, disturbing three of the sleeping cats. I apologised to them hastily. It sounded like Trilby, but I couldn’t imagine what they would be doing at my front door at that hour of the morning.
‘Kit!’
Shit. It really was them. I cursed, scooted out of bed and grabbed a jumper before making my way blearily to the door. I opened it and peered out. Trilby looked bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Their clothes were uncreased, their hat was perfectly perched on their head and they looked wide awake – but they weren’t smiling.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked. ‘It’s practically the middle of the night.’
‘It’s 4.30 in the morning, Kit, hardly the middle of the night. Besides, you need to put on some proper clothes and get moving. You’ve got work to do.’
I passed a hand in front of my face. ‘Trilby…’
They gazed at me grimly. ‘There’s an attack underway.’
Suddenly I was wide awake. ‘An attack? Where?’
‘On the MET building. Somebody has broken in, knocked the duty officer unconscious and gone straight for the cells.’
My stomach dropped. Instantly, I knew what – or rather whom – Trilby was alluding to. ‘Fetch Jackson? Is he still there? Has he escaped?’
Trilby shook their head. ‘I don’t know, but you should get there as fast as you can.’ They turned away and trudged back to the garden gate.
‘Wait! How did you know about the attack? Who told you?’
Trilby didn’t answer. I cursed then darted back inside to make myself presentable. It took me four minutes to yank on appropriate clothes, grab everything I might need and run out of my front door.
By the timeI arrived at the MET building, magicked lights were illuminating its façade. There were people everywhere, and a cordon had already been set up to hold them back. I pushed myway through a group of curious vampires, then stared aghast at the scene.
The front door, which would normally have been firmly closed at that hour, was hanging off its hinges; scorch marks suggested that some sort of powerful magic spell had been used to blast it open. Four paramedics were crouched around a fallen figure dressed in a MET uniform. I felt the pulse of magic as they worked on her wounds and I swallowed hard.
The acrid stench of violent magic clung to the still air. The idea that somebody would storm this building was unprecedented; even though I could see it with my own eyes, it was difficult to believe what had happened.
A hand grabbed my arm from behind. As I spun, I instinctively reached for my would-be assailant. I jabbed them with my elbow, throwing as much force as I could into their solar plexus before I swung around.
Thane choked and doubled over, wheezing and gasping for air. ‘Goddamnit,’ I hissed. ‘Haven’t you learned by now not to creep up behind me?’
The vamps stared at me with their black eyes, their expressions blank, but at least the nearest ones stepped back to put a distance between us. ‘She’s stronger than she looks,’ one of them muttered to his companion.
‘Those self-defence classes at my local community centre are worth their weight in gold,’ I replied, tossing my head as I helped Thane straighten up. He wiped away involuntary tears and managed a weak smile. I didn’t return it. ‘Trilby?’ I asked.
Thane nodded. ‘About ten minutes ago.’ His voice was strained but I remained unrepentant. ‘They banged on my door to wake me up although Tiddles had already done that.’
At least it had saved me from waking him.
‘Jackson?’ he asked.
