“Search everywhere!” he barked out. “They have to be here somewhere. I want them found. Now!”
About half the guards spread out around the square, peering into first one storefront, then another, while a couple of men went down to the street, scanning the sidewalks to see if we’d left that way. But what worried me the most were the three men who hurried over to search around the fountain, less than twenty feet from where we were hiding.
If one of them had sight magic and looked up into the tree . . . if one of them had a hearing Talent and noticed our harsh, raspy breaths . . . well, we were caught, simple as that.
Deah knew it too and she gave me a worried look, but I shrugged back. We were stuck up here, and there was nothing either one of us could do to change that—
Cheep.
For a moment, Deah and I both froze at the sound, our eyes wide as we stared at each other. Then we both slowly turned our heads and looked up.
A large nest made out of twigs, leaves, grasses, and colorful candy bar wrappers was perched in the crook of a branch a few feet above my head. I’d been so focused on climbing up the tree that I hadn’t even thought to check whether any birds or monsters might be up here. But I didn’t need my sight magic to see the tree troll standing on the branch right beside its nest.
As far as monsters went, tree trolls were pretty harmless, since they were only about a foot tall with charcoal-gray fur, long, bushy tails, and black webbing under their arms that let them catch wind currents and hop from one branch or tree to another. But this troll’s emerald-green eyes were narrowed to slits, and it clutched a ripe blood persimmon in its long, curved black claws, ready to throw the fruit and drive us away from its nest. It could easily make enough noise to attract the attention of the Draconi guards still searching for us in the square below.
Cheep.
The troll chattered again, a little louder this time, although the noise sounded more questioning than angry. I stared at the creature and realized that three jagged scars slashed down its face. Relief flooded my body. I’d dealt with this particular troll before, so I knew that he was only protecting his family, hidden down in the bottom of the nest. Even better, I knew exactly what I could bribe him with.
Staring at the troll the whole time, I slowly reached into my shorts pocket and drew out a dark chocolate candy bar. It was all melted, mushed, and squished from the heat and all the running around I’d done, but the troll’s eyes still brightened at the sight of it. I put my finger to my lips, asking the troll to be quiet, then held the chocolate bar up over my head.
The troll darted down the branch, snatched the candy out of my hand, and disappeared back into the bottom of its nest, out of my line of sight. A few seconds later, a couple of soft, crinkle-crinkles sounded as the troll ripped into the candy bar and passed it out to the mama and baby in the nest.
After that . . . silence. The trolls weren’t going to make any noise to give us away.
Deah let out a sigh of relief. Yeah, me too—
“Hey! These doors are busted!” A shout drifted up from the square below.
Deah and I peered through the screen of leaves again. Blake raced over to the Razzle Dazzle, with all the guards hurrying to follow him, including the ones that had been close to our hiding spot. They didn’t waste any time wrenching the locked doors open and storming inside.
Deah moved, like she was going to start climbing back down the tree, but I stopped her.
“Wait,” I whispered. “It won’t take Blake long to realize that we’re not in there. We don’t have time to climb down and get out of the square before he comes back out.”
She gave me another worried look, but she nodded and eased back against the trunk again.
Sure enough, less than a minute later, Blake stormed back out of the shop. He looked around the square, his face twisting into an ugly sneer.
“Spread out!” he yelled. “Search every store in this miserable square! Find them! Now!”
The guards did as he asked, moving away from the Razzle Dazzle and running around the square, breaking windows, busting doors open, and searching every single storefront to make sure that we weren’t hiding inside.
It didn’t take the guards long to realize that we weren’t in any of the shops, and they all converged around the fountain, waiting for Blake to tell them where to look next. One of the men stepped into the shade of the blood persimmon tree and tipped his head back, peering up at the branches above his head.
Deah reached over and clutched my hand, and I squeezed hers back. We both had our free hands on our swords.
“What are you doing standing in the shade?” Blake yelled. “Get over here, and keep looking!”
The guard winced and hurried back over to the others, but Deah and I both kept our hands on our weapons.
The guards searched the square for the next ten minutes, storming into all the shops over and over again, but they didn’t find anything, and none of them came back over to the tree where Deah and I were hiding.
It quickly became apparent that they weren’t going to find us, and Blake’s face turned tomato red with anger.
“What is my dad even paying you for?” he yelled. “Idiots! You’re all a bunch of idiots!”
Blake huffed and puffed and stomped around for another minute before he and the guards finally left the square to keep searching for us. Deah started to climb down the second they were gone, but I grabbed her arm again.
“They could always double back,” I whispered. “Let’s give them a few minutes to go somewhere else.”
She nodded and we both held our positions, leaning back against the branches that supported us.
Truth be told, it was nice to just sit in the tree, rest, and catch my breath. The leaves provided some much-needed shade from the blazing sun, and a breeze danced through the branches, ruffling my ponytail and cooling the sweat on the back of my neck. The sticky-sweet scent of blood persimmons filled the air, creating a pleasant perfume.
While we were waiting, Deah’s phone buzzed, and she pulled it out and checked the message.
“It’s Felix again,” she said. “He’s worried that we’re not back yet.”
I looked around the square again, but all the Draconi guards were gone and had been for five minutes. It should be safe for us to climb down now. “Tell him that we’re on our way back to the alley, and that we’ll be there soon.”
Deah nodded and sent him the message. Less than a minute later, her phone buzzed again. “He says that no one’s spotted them; they’re still waiting for us in the alley.”
She put her phone away, and we both climbed down the tree. When we got back to the ground, we stopped and glanced around, but the Draconis were gone and I didn’t see anyone wearing a red cloak patrolling out on the main street or roaming through the walkways that led into and out of the square.
Deah took the lead, hurrying over to the walkway that led out the far side of the square. I kept glancing back over my shoulder, making sure that no Draconis were sneaking up behind us. We reached the end of the walkway and rounded the corner.
Deah gasped and stopped short, making me slam into her back. I looked over her shoulder, wondering what had made her stop, and my heart sank.
Because Blake was waiting there, flanked by half a dozen guards.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Blake stared at me, a sneering grin twisting his face. “You know, you’re not as smart as you think you are, Merriweather. I knew you had to be somewhere in that stupid square and that all I had to do was wait you out. And I was right.”
I didn’t respond, but my hand tightened around the hilt of my stolen sword, ready to swing it at the first Draconi who came near me.
Deah stepped forward, staring at her brother. “You don’t have to do this, Blake. You could forget about the Draconis and come with us.”
He gave her a look like she’d just said the dumbest thing ever. “And why would I want to do that? Dad is about to own this entire town, and
I’m going to be standing right by his side when he does.”
She shook her head. “And you don’t care what Dad does to anyone else in order to get what he wants? Or what he makes you do?”
He gave her that same disbelieving look again. “Why would I care about any of that? We’re the best and it’s time everyone in this town realizes it, especially all the other Families.”
“But Dad attacked all those people at the restaurant last night. And at the Sinclair mansion.” Deah looked back and forth from her brother to the guards. “He ordered you and the other guards to slaughter everyone, and you just went along with it like it was okay. Why would you do that? Why would any of you do that?”
Some of the guards shifted on their feet, their cheeks suddenly red with shame, and dropped their gazes from her accusing one. But not Blake.
“Why wouldn’t I do that?” he countered in a harsh voice. “I’m the Draconi bruiser. It’s my job.”
Deah shook her head again. “It’s not your job to hurt and kill innocent people and pixies, but that’s exactly what you did last night.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed, rage burning in their cold brown depths. “The more important question is why would you betray your own Family? Especially to side with the Sinclairs? Or are you so into Morales that you just can’t think straight? Is that your excuse? Being blinded by love?”
He batted his eyelashes and clutched his hand to his heart as though he were about to swoon. All the guards laughed, but Deah’s mouth flattened out into a harsh line.
“I’m not blinded by anything,” she snapped. “And the only one not thinking straight here is you.”
Blake rolled his eyes. “Whatever. The point is that you are no longer a Draconi. I don’t even know why Dad wants us to take you alive.”
Deah glanced at me, worry flashing in her eyes. We both knew that Victor wanted her alive because she was one of the best fighters in Cloudburst Falls. As long as Victor held Seleste captive, he could force Deah to do whatever he wanted. And that’s if she was lucky. Victor could just as easily want to rip out her mimic magic and take it for himself.
Well, I wasn’t about to let any of those things happen. Victor wasn’t hurting Deah or anyone else I cared about. I shifted my stance, getting ready for the coming fight.
Deah opened her mouth to keep arguing, but Blake cut her off.
“Enough talk,” he growled, waving his sword at the guards around him. “Get them!”
The men surged forward, raising their weapons high. If we ran, they would only cut us down from behind, so Deah and I stepped up to meet them, forming a strong, united front. We both whirled first one way, then the other, battling the guards and watching each other’s backs.
One man screamed as I sliced my sword across his stomach, while Deah stabbed her sword into the leg of the guard closest to her. Two more guards stepped up to take their places, and we took them out as well, then the two after that. In less than a minute, all six of the Draconi guards were down on the ground, bleeding from the wounds we’d inflicted on them, and Blake was the only one left standing.
He stared at us for a moment, eyeing the blood on our swords and the guards moaning and groaning at our feet.
Then he turned and ran.
Deah and I looked at each other, then leaped over the injured guards and sprinted after him. Blake raced down the street, darted into an alley, and rounded the corner at the far end, disappearing from sight. I frowned, realizing that he was heading toward the parking lot reserved for the Families. Blake might be cruel, but he wasn’t dumb. So why would he go there? There was nothing back there but cars, and no way for him to get to safety—
Too late, I realized what Blake was really up to. I grabbed Deah’s arm, trying to stop her, but her momentum pulled us both around the corner.
And right into the ambush.
More than a dozen Draconi guards were waiting in the parking lot, all armed with swords. And Blake was standing in the middle of them, a smug grin stretching across his face. He’d known that we would chase after him, and he’d been ready in case the first group of guards failed to capture us. Now there were too many Draconis for us to fight our way through.
“Grab Deah and kill Merriweather,” he called out in a casual voice, as though he weren’t doing anything more important than ordering fast-food at a burger joint.
“Run!” I yelled at Deah. “Run!”
Together, we whirled around and raced out of the parking lot.
At least, we tried to.
I headed back toward the alley, but a couple of the Draconi guards ran in that direction, moving to cut us off. So I changed course, instead sprinting over to one of the Draconi SUVs parked in the lot, jumping up onto the hood, and then scrambling up onto the roof of the vehicle. A second later, Deah pulled herself up onto the car roof as well.
Blake waved his hand and the guards quickly surrounded the SUV, like sharks circling a lifeboat. My eyes darted left and right and finally up, looking for a way out of here.
There—over there. That would do quite nicely. It would have to, since it was the only chance we had.
“Now where do you think you’re going?” Blake sneered. “You’re trapped.”
I ignored him and looked at Deah. “Follow me, and use your mimic magic to do exactly what I do.”
She nodded.
I slid my stolen sword through a belt loop on my shorts so my hands would be free. Deah did the same thing. Then I drew in a breath, rocked back on my heels, and sprang forward, leaping over the guards’ heads onto the roof of the next SUV over.
Thump.
My sneakers hit the roof and I stepped to the side, making room for Deah. A second later, she landed beside me, but I was already leaping onto the roof of the next vehicle. . . and the one after that . . . and the next . . . as if I was playing an enormous game of hopscotch.
Thirty seconds later, I was at the opposite end of the parking lot, with Deah right behind me and Blake screaming at the guards to catch us or else. The last car was parked up against one of the buildings that ringed the lot, so I was able to reach out, grab hold of a low roof there, and pull myself up onto it. Deah reached out and did the same thing, rolling to a stop beside me.
“Move! Move! Move!” Blake yelled at his men. “Get up there and follow them, you idiots!”
The guards hurried after us, but I tuned out their shouts, got to my feet, and raced over to the far side of the roof where there was another low overhang. I had a running start, which made it easy to leap, grab the overhang, and pull myself up onto the next roof.
The rest of the world fell away, and I focused on moving from one roof to the next, my legs churning, my arms stretching, my fingers grasping, and my muscles burning as I climbed up and up and up. Even though the Draconi guards were still shouting and chasing us, I couldn’t help but smile the whole time.
This—this was what I loved.
The wind kissing my face, the scrape-scrape-scrape-scrape of my sneakers against the walls, the warm, rough feel of brick and stone under my hands. There was a freedom in it that I’d never felt anywhere else.
Behind me, a faint chill of magic gusted against my back like a cool, steady breeze. I pulled myself up onto another roof, then glanced back over my shoulder. Deah was staring intently at me, her dark blue eyes glittering in her face, as she used her magic to exactly mimic all of my movements, right down to the way my fingers flexed as I reached out for the next roof. I grinned and kept going.
We climbed up onto the highest roof in this section of buildings. Behind us, the guards were scrambling to catch up, so I stopped a second to look around, planning the rest of our escape.
I pointed out the route to Deah. “This way! Follow me!”
She nodded and fell in step behind me, her eyes still glittering with magic as she ran the exact same way I did.
Where I had climbed up before, now I went down, down, down, grabbing hold of the edges of the roofs and sliding down as far as I could b
efore letting go and dropping to the next building. If not for the guards chasing us, I would have been having a great time.
Finally, I took hold of the lowest roof and hung in the air for a second before dropping back down to the street again. Deah jumped down right beside me, but she took her eyes off me, just for a second, and she landed awkwardly, tumbling to the ground, yelping, and clutching her left ankle.
“Are you okay?” I crouched beside her.
Her pretty face creased with pain, but she held out her arm to me. “I think I sprained my ankle. Help me up.”
I did as she asked and the two of us started moving down the street where we had ended up, three blocks away from the parking lot. Deah tried to keep up with me, but she hissed every time she put any weight on her ankle and I ended up wedging my shoulder under hers and half dragging, half carrying her along.
Our slow pace gave Blake and the Draconi guards plenty of time to catch up with us.
Their shouts, which had faded to angry murmurs in the distance, grew louder and louder and closer and closer. I craned my neck around, then up. I didn’t see any guards on the street behind us yet, but it was just a matter of time now, especially since a couple of them popped into sight on the rooftops, shouting and pointing in our direction.
We had to get out of sight of the men on the rooftops, so I dragged Deah into the first alley I came to—not realizing that it was a dead end. I cursed and whirled around, ready to head back onto the street, but Deah stepped away from me, even though she was wobbling on her feet the whole time.
“Stop—just stop, Lila. It’s no use. I’m slowing you down.” She lifted her chin. “You need to leave me behind.”
My mouth dropped open. “What? You can’t be serious! No—no way am I leaving you behind for Blake and the guards to capture.”
She looked around a second, then pointed over to a rusty drainpipe that was attached to the alley wall. “You can climb up that, right? Get up onto the roof and then make it to safety?”
“Of course I can climb up that,” I snapped. “I can climb up anything. But that’s not the point. We can both make it out of here. I’m not leaving you behind. Now come on.”