Page 91 of A City of Smoke and Demons
Ezra and Analise staggered upright. The dead demon lay a few feet away, a pile of bones and skin. Between them, Lira and Ezra hauled Jem to his feet, Tobias watching helplessly. Jem was bleeding and his breathing was ragged, but he was conscious.Analise ordered him to put pressure on his wound, then dropped her eyes to Ezra’s chest.
‘I’m alright,’ he said again. ‘Let’s get Jem back to the club.’
Lira nodded. ‘We can’t leave the demon there for anyone to find. We need to burn it.’ She directed Analise to the pocket of Jem’s coat, where a vial of liquid fire was hidden. ‘Break the seal and tip it on it, then get out of the way,’ Lira directed, face strained as she supported her brother’s weight.
With a piece of alchemist's magic in her hands, Analise approached the demon. There was a strange ringing in her ears as she stared at it. This was a human being once, a child, a girl with dreams and ambitions who wanted a better life for herself. That was what she’d asked for. Analise had heard her voice in her head, telling her about the man in white who found her crying in the street one day after her father lost his job at the factory. The man in white had offered her anything, and the girl asked for her father to find another job. He had, instantly, one that paid better, one that allowed them to move from their Credges hovel to a nice house where the girl had her own bedroom.
In return, the Devil told her that life deserved life. He asked the child to murder her pet. At the time, the girl didn’t have a pet, but when fortunes turned, her father brought home a fluffy black kitten with bright, blue eyes …
Analise broke the seal on the vial and, seconds later, flames engulfed the dead demon with the soul of a child trapped inside it. She watched it burn for a moment, then wiped her face and returned to the others. There was blood on her palm—Ezra’s, she realised.
Tobias, holding his shoulder, was looking at her strangely. ‘How did you do that? Use your magic on it without touching it?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe it was because I’d connected to her ghost. Maybe it was because she wasn’t long dead … I have no idea.’ There was nothing in Blackwood’s book about this.
It was an agonisingly slow walk back to the Canem Club. Tobias insisted on helping Jem, so he and Ezra took one side each, Tobias grimacing under the strain of his injury. Lira walked ahead with her blades out, her face pale but alert.
‘I’m so sorry, Ezra,’ she kept saying. ‘I should have helped, but Jem … I’m sorry.’
‘I’m fine, Lira,’ he said each time, and she’d shake her head and repeat the words after a minute or two. Analise walked on Ezra’s other side, making them stop occasionally so she could check Jem’s pulse. He was dazed, but he managed to stay awake.
Maddog was waiting for them at the club, Charles with him. The gangster’s face paled when he saw his nephew being supported by two bleeding men. Analise heard Lira telling him what happened as she hurried to the kitchen for water, while Charles found their medical supplies.
Charles was examining Jem’s head. ‘You need to stay here,’ the alchemist said firmly. ‘You have a huge lump on the back of your head and probably a concussion.’ He left Jem mumbling to himself, Lira watching over him, and turned his attention to Tobias. Maddog cut Tobias’ shirt away from his body. Three deep, nasty scratches worked their way over his shoulder and down his chest.
‘Hey, I’d much rather you look at my chest, thanks,’ Ezra said. Analise chuckled, dragging a chair close to him.
‘Can you get your shirt off or do I need to cut it free?’ she asked, dipping a cloth in the basin of water.
‘Could you pull it off with your teeth? I think I’d like that,’ Ezra replied, but slowly removed his shirt. The scratches on his chest weren’t as deep as the ones Tobias had, so Analise cleaned and dressed them as best she could.
‘None of you are going anywhere tonight,’ Maddog said, running his hand over his hair. He looked tired and deeply worried. ‘Lira, you can have the lounge in my office. Jem and Tobias—’
‘Can have my bed,’ Ezra said. Jem went to argue, but Ezra shook his head.
Lira trudged off to Maddog’s office, while Jem and Tobias made their way slowly up the stairs, Maddog on their heels. Analise followed Ezra, yawning. She was exhausted all of a sudden, the excitement, the fear, starting to wear off. The voices that spoke in her head at the cemetery had been silent since she’d killed the demon.
Ezra went in to help Jem and Tobias get settled.
‘You killed a demon without touching it,’ Maddog said, making Analise jump. She hadn’t realised he was standing beside her. ‘How?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said truthfully. She didn’t tell him about the voices. She wasn’t sure if she’d imagined them. He gave her a long look, then nodded and left them to it, disappearing back downstairs. When Ezra closed the door and was back in the hall, Analise gave him a smile.
‘Where will you sleep?’
He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I’m not tired. I feel like I do after a night in the ring. High, almost.’
‘You should rest.’
His lips curled. ‘I’ve lost my bed in an act of charity.’
She snorted. ‘An act of charity or an act of wishful thinking?’
‘I think I’m offended,’ Ezra replied with mock hurt.
Analise reached for his hand. ‘Come on then. We can’t let saintly deeds go unpunished.’
‘I’m wounded, remember?’
