Page 101 of Brimstone
Wanted for:
Unauthorized Magic Use
Murder
Theft
Intent to Incite Violence
Harboring these criminals is an offense punishable by death. Remember: Magic is a disease.
Keep Zilvaren Safe!
My face wasn’t drawn in caricature this time. The rendering was faithful enough. Carrion’s face was plastered up there with mine now. Images of our faces stared out of scores of posters as we made our way through the ward.
With our hoods drawn up and our scarves concealing our features, we were safe from the prying eyes of those we passed. Men and women gathered around the posters, arguing among themselves on every street corner.
“Unauthorizedmagicuse?”
“Magic isn’t real.”
“Of course it is.
“That’s the Swift boy. I always knew there was somethingwrongabout him.”
“It’s a joke. She rants and raves about make-believe every Evenlight. The Fae this. Magic that. She’s finally convinced herself it’s all real, though. She’s lost touch with reality.”
“What are we supposed to do, then? Lie? Tackle one of our own in the street?”
“Look, there’s a reward . . .”
“A reward . . .”
“A reward . . .”
Reward.
A year’s supply of water for your household: That’s what Madra was promising to the person who came forward with information that led to our capture. It was worth more than money. In a lot of cases, it meant the difference between life and death. It was the kind of reward that turned friends into enemies in the blink of an eye.
We didn’t linger in the street. We were only minutes from safety when we saw the first guardians.
They were waiting for us. Concealed deep inside the alleyway opposite Carrion’s apartment, I wouldn’t have seen them until it was too late. But the Twins always shone in Zilvaren, and the Madra insisted that her guardians look resplendent in their glorious golden armor, didn’t she? Patches of shimmering gold danced on the shop front below Carrion’s bedroom window, betraying the soldiers before they’d even come into view.
Swift noticed the mirrored gold on the stonework only a split second after I did. We both grabbed Hayden, pulling him back. The three of us backtracked the way we had come . . . but it was already too late.
“Here! They’re here! We’ve got them!”
The guardians spilled out of the alleyway like hornets swarming from a hive.
“Fuck!”I hissed. The men weren’t anywhere near as fast as Carrion and me, but we had a human in tow now—a human whocouldn’t run very fast. We took off, sprinting, urging Hayden along as we barreled through the streets.
Thisss way, the quicksilver hissed.
“Shut. Up.”
This way, this way, this way!The tugging on my insides grew stronger, but the quicksilver was trying to pull me in the wrong direction, back toward the fucking guardians.
“What are we going to do?” Carrion panted.
