screamed, huddling in groups while the cops cursed, bellowing for silence.
“Find the spell caster. High magic,” a voice cried and a glass ashtray hit the floor and spun, flying in front of her, barely missing her nose. She grasped the pole in the next booth and hauled herself between the chair legs and the wall, squirming. One booth to go. Something grabbed her leg and she squealed, scrabbling at the floor. A piece of glass sliced across her palm, but she ignored the sting, kicking and writhing until the pressure released. She gritted her teeth and wriggled fast, trying to keep to the darkest shadows against the wall. Her tank top rode high on her belly. She edged closer to the hallway. If they caught her she was as good as dead. Up ahead she spotted a slice of light from the halogens in the corridor.
She dragged herself out and jumped to her feet, dizzy from adrenaline, and bolted into the hallway, grabbing the first doorknob with weak hands. A gloved hand covered hers and hard metal pressed against her back.
“I thought you’d be here.” The Conjurare cop spoke in her ear, sending a bolt of heat down her spine. He twisted the knob and opened the door, pushing her with his chest against her back toward a landing splashed with light. A wooden staircase led down to dark cellars smelling of wine and disinfectant. “After you.”
“I didn’t do it,” Maya said. In the background the wind rose in intensity, howling like a lost soul.
He gripped her shoulder, shoving her forward. She caught herself on the wall before falling. “I can’t say I’m not impressed by the distraction. Which House is helping you?”
Maya stepped into the cellar and the door closed behind them. The Conjurare beamed a thread of light onto the stairs. There was a click and a bare bulb cast yellow light on the stone walls below.
“You’re not going to believe me, whatever I say.”
“Try me,” he said in a liquid voice. He prodded her in the back and she stepped down the flight of stairs.
She reached the bottom on shaky legs. A cold shaft of damp air washed over her face and she turned, exhaling when she saw that he’d lifted his visor. He could have had laser treatment to remove the pockmarked scars, but he must have liked the look.
He smiled, enjoying her reaction.
“I went to work,” she said. “The Horus Master possessed Jhara and forced me to draw a pretty picture. Then Jhara belted me and I left. Period.”
“And the explosion. How did you do it? You left a bio blueprint but we couldn’t extract the magical base from the nuclear matrix. A human can’t spell cast and your profile isn’t in the genomic library.”
She scooted back, cursing herself for leaving a blood sample.
He advanced closer.
“Look, if this is an interrogation I want the mundane cops here,” she said.
“This is out of their league. You’re not human, so you’re out of their jurisdiction.”
“Then I must be a lower mage. My mother was human. Maybe one of my ancestors slept with a mage, but I didn’t know until today that I had any special talent.”
“It’s impossible for any mage to do what you’ve done, let alone a hybrid.”
“I swear.”
“You’re a biohazard. The whole block surrounding the factory went up.” He tugged a black square out of his belt pocket and waved a hand. It unfolded several times, forming a black plastic shroud that floated to the ground. She lurched back at the sight of the body bag.
“We can clone you dead or alive. I’m not taking chances.” His jaw muscles ticked. He was troubled and was trying hard to hide it.
“Look, Jhara was dabbling in all sorts of crap. It had nothing to do with me.” She’d started babbling and she closed her mouth with a snap. Sweat dripped down her back and she shuddered, bracing herself for what was coming.
“We’re well aware of Jhara’s activities. But nothing he could do would leave a mound of crawling insects two stories high.” He shook his head. “Never
“Find the spell caster. High magic,” a voice cried and a glass ashtray hit the floor and spun, flying in front of her, barely missing her nose. She grasped the pole in the next booth and hauled herself between the chair legs and the wall, squirming. One booth to go. Something grabbed her leg and she squealed, scrabbling at the floor. A piece of glass sliced across her palm, but she ignored the sting, kicking and writhing until the pressure released. She gritted her teeth and wriggled fast, trying to keep to the darkest shadows against the wall. Her tank top rode high on her belly. She edged closer to the hallway. If they caught her she was as good as dead. Up ahead she spotted a slice of light from the halogens in the corridor.
She dragged herself out and jumped to her feet, dizzy from adrenaline, and bolted into the hallway, grabbing the first doorknob with weak hands. A gloved hand covered hers and hard metal pressed against her back.
“I thought you’d be here.” The Conjurare cop spoke in her ear, sending a bolt of heat down her spine. He twisted the knob and opened the door, pushing her with his chest against her back toward a landing splashed with light. A wooden staircase led down to dark cellars smelling of wine and disinfectant. “After you.”
“I didn’t do it,” Maya said. In the background the wind rose in intensity, howling like a lost soul.
He gripped her shoulder, shoving her forward. She caught herself on the wall before falling. “I can’t say I’m not impressed by the distraction. Which House is helping you?”
Maya stepped into the cellar and the door closed behind them. The Conjurare beamed a thread of light onto the stairs. There was a click and a bare bulb cast yellow light on the stone walls below.
“You’re not going to believe me, whatever I say.”
“Try me,” he said in a liquid voice. He prodded her in the back and she stepped down the flight of stairs.
She reached the bottom on shaky legs. A cold shaft of damp air washed over her face and she turned, exhaling when she saw that he’d lifted his visor. He could have had laser treatment to remove the pockmarked scars, but he must have liked the look.
He smiled, enjoying her reaction.
“I went to work,” she said. “The Horus Master possessed Jhara and forced me to draw a pretty picture. Then Jhara belted me and I left. Period.”
“And the explosion. How did you do it? You left a bio blueprint but we couldn’t extract the magical base from the nuclear matrix. A human can’t spell cast and your profile isn’t in the genomic library.”
She scooted back, cursing herself for leaving a blood sample.
He advanced closer.
“Look, if this is an interrogation I want the mundane cops here,” she said.
“This is out of their league. You’re not human, so you’re out of their jurisdiction.”
“Then I must be a lower mage. My mother was human. Maybe one of my ancestors slept with a mage, but I didn’t know until today that I had any special talent.”
“It’s impossible for any mage to do what you’ve done, let alone a hybrid.”
“I swear.”
“You’re a biohazard. The whole block surrounding the factory went up.” He tugged a black square out of his belt pocket and waved a hand. It unfolded several times, forming a black plastic shroud that floated to the ground. She lurched back at the sight of the body bag.
“We can clone you dead or alive. I’m not taking chances.” His jaw muscles ticked. He was troubled and was trying hard to hide it.
“Look, Jhara was dabbling in all sorts of crap. It had nothing to do with me.” She’d started babbling and she closed her mouth with a snap. Sweat dripped down her back and she shuddered, bracing herself for what was coming.
“We’re well aware of Jhara’s activities. But nothing he could do would leave a mound of crawling insects two stories high.” He shook his head. “Never
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