“That one,” Zoe said with a nod towards the one she had hopefully just concussed, “might not be dead. Restrain her in Ylva’s domain. Teleportation doesn’t work inside, so she won’t be able to escape. Unless we want to let her go?”
Genoa walked over and slung the nun over her shoulder, fireman’s carry. She didn’t look at all bothered by the weight of a human body.
“Let’s find Nel and…”
One of the peasants ran over, waving its arms wildly. It stopped a few feet from them, just in time for Genoa to not turn it into paste.
Outside the heat of battle, Zoe noticed a few things. His clothes were definitely made from some type of burlap. There were rope burns around both of his wrists. Most notably, he was missing his entire jaw, though he didn’t appear to be bleeding.
The peasant outstretched one arm, pointing down between the cell houses. A second peasant was in the distance, pointing perpendicular from the first peasant.
“They want us to follow?” Genoa asked.
The first peasant stomped his feet and took off at a run. Genoa was quick to follow despite the nun over her shoulder.
Zoe simply flicked her dagger and teleported. Running would hurt.
From the second peasant, she could easily see what he was pointing at.
“Eva,” Zoe said softly. She teleported again to her student’s side with Genoa running up not far behind.
Eva was lying face down, wrapped in one of the security specialists’ trench coats. A gash had been torn in one side and through it, Zoe could see the inside of her student. Nestled within appeared to be one of her bloodstones.
A bone white dagger lay to one side, half sheathed in blood.
Zoe started to reach for it. A collection of blood appearing in front of her face stopped her.
“Eva? You’re alive?”
“Damn,” a voice behind them called out. “Damn.”
Devon ran up beside them, almost shoving Zoe out of the way. Two things, demons likely, followed him.
Genoa dropped into a combat stance. Something of an odd sight with the nun still over her shoulders. She seemed to recognize Devon just in time.
“What are those?” she said with a gesture towards the demons.
“Don’t shake hands and headache,” he mumbled as he stopped above Eva. “You couldn’t do one thing right, girl?”
The blood in front of Devon swirled around into a frowning face.
Devon didn’t seem to notice. He hunched over the dagger, pointedly not touching it.
“Where’s Juliana?” Genoa asked. “Alternatively, Nel?”
“Kidnapped?” Genoa said with a growl. “Who?”
Before Eva could write out a response, Devon jammed both fingers into the hole in her back.
She spasmed twice. The mass of blood above her had a similar spasm. It formed into a spiked ball before splaying out a few droplets. A few landed on Devon’s face, causing him to pull his fingers out.
“Arachne has it,” Zoe said.
“Damnit. I can’t fix this on my own.”
Zoe was already readying herself to teleport to Arachne when Devon turned to face her.
“Grab the dagger and bring Ylva with you.”
“Ylva?”
“This is a necromancer’s work. If anyone can fix it, she can.” He turned back to Eva, mumbling under his breath. “Going to cost me an arm and a leg.”
“Necromancer,” Zoe said softly.
She saw one word written in blood before the world fell into between.
Epilogue
“Has she woken up yet?”
Shelby stirred at the soft voice. She pulled herself out of the puddle of drool that had gathered on her sister’s bed. Wiping off her cheek, she looked towards the doorway.
“I don’t think so. What–” An involuntary yawn drowned out her words. “What time is it?”
“Ten o’clock in the morning,” Jordan said as he pulled up a chair. “I was just talking with Nurse East. He said that she should be waking up anytime now.”
“That would be nice,” Shelby said as she looked back down to her sleeping twin.
For the first time in weeks, Irene lacked the furrowed brow. She wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t frowning either. She seemed… peaceful.
“She’s going to be alright, right?”
“He said it was just a concussion. A bad one, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a few potions.”
“She’s not going to be like, possessed, is she?”
“Those weren’t demons,” Jordan said. His features darkened, looking like he wanted to spit. A look of pure disgust. “Just parts of them.”
His voice lacked all the inquisitive excitement usually present within.
