When they reached the secret entrance to Fisk’s HQ, Valek said, “Here’s the story. My injuries are due to a fight with The Mosquito. He used magic and, if you hadn’t come along to help, I’d be dead. Oh, and you had no intention of carrying out the Commander’s order to assassinate me.”
“Except for the fight with the bug, it’s true. Why the change?”
“You tell me.”
It didn’t take her long. “You don’t want Yelena to be mad at me.” Her brow crinkled. “Why?”
He waited.
Onora shook her head, truly puzzled.
“Because she considers you a friend. Yelena doesn’t have many friends. And none who have also been—” there really was no way to say this gently “—raped. You share that in common, and it forges a bond. I don’t want to ruin that for her...or you.” He sensed she needed it more than his wife.
“Thanks.”
He nodded and tapped the code on the door. Hilly opened it. Her gaze slid to Onora.
“This is Onora. She’s going to be staying with us.”
She stepped aside, letting them in. Hilly took one look at his bloody tunic and said, “I’ll fetch Chale.”
“Thanks. Can you tell Yelena I’m back?”
Hilly paused and turned around. Her tight expression warned him before the words left her mouth. “She’s not here.”
He stilled as a number of emotions fought for dominance. Fury rose to the surface, but his battered body couldn’t produce the energy to sustain it. Instead, a tired anger laced his voice. “Where is she?”
“She’s with Fisk, two bodyguards, Tweet and a four-person surveillance team. They’re wearing disguises. She’s fine.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“They went to check a glass roof in this quadrant. They should be back any minute—”
“Not helping.”
“I don’t know.”
Valek tightened his grip on his knives. He hadn’t realized he’d drawn them.
“I’ll go,” Onora said.
“No. She knows the Commander sent you. We’ll go together.”
“Renée! Innis!” Hilly called into the kitchen behind her. “Report for backup.”
“We don’t—” Valek tried.
“They know all the problem spots. And they can fight.”
Two teens raced into the room. Both were about sixteen years old. Renée was a sturdy-looking girl with pale skin and red hair, but Innis looked like a stiff wind could blow him over. Nonetheless, their determined expressions warned him that arguing would involve too much energy. And he needed every ounce to find Yelena. They tucked daggers into hidden sheaths. Valek figured he’d ditch them if they couldn’t keep up.
Without a word, he strode to the door and headed out. It took another minute for his brain to catch up with his body. He had no plan, and therefore no direction and no way of finding Yelena. Valek stopped and sorted through the limited information. Hilly mentioned a roof. A rudimentary plan formed.
“I need to get onto a roof, or the highest point in this quadrant, without scaling a wall. Can you get me there?”
Renée and Innis exchanged a glance.
“Penny’s Arch?” Renée asked.
Innis nodded. “Safest bet.”
“This way,” Renée said before taking off with a ground-eating stride.
Valek, Onora and Innis followed. After ten minutes, he hoped the teens wouldn’t ditch him. At least the effort to maintain the pace kept his mind occupied. His injuries throbbed with pain, and he didn’t have any spare energy to conjure up various dire scenarios for his missing wife.
The street lamps emitted enough light for them to skirt security patrols, avoid busy intersections and cut through an impressive number of alleys. Then it turned tricky.
Renée scrambled up a dilapidated shed and crossed a high fence to get onto the roof that was connected to a row of houses. Innis accomplished it with equal ease. Valek sweated as he climbed and almost lost his balance on the fence. Onora touched his elbow to steady him.
Once on the roof, they stayed on the top of the buildings, winding through the quadrant. The place resembled a maze, and Valek didn’t have the strength to track their location.
Penny’s Arch turned out to be a thick walkway between two buildings. It arched high up in the middle, as if the structures had shuffled closer together and bowed it.
Valek scanned the area, noting the brief patterns of the original structures that emerged from the unorganized mess. He didn’t know what he’d expected—a giant hand pointing to a specific section? Maybe if he used magic...
Valek lowered his mental barrier and was immediately assaulted with the thoughts of the thousands of people all around him. He raised his shield again, cursing. The entire endeavor had been a waste of precious time.
About to ask Renée to lead them back to HQ, Valek noticed that one area was darker than the others, but there was a bright glow right next to it. As if all the lanterns had decided to huddle together instead of spreading out.
Assassins were creatures of night and shadows, and if they’d set up an ambush, it would be in the darkest part of the city. And if there wasn’t a naturally dark spot, then they wouldn’t hesitate to create one.
“Renée, can you get us where it’s dark?” Valek asked, pointing to the spot.
“Yes. It’s near the entrance. There are two routes. Which one?”