“Children,” growled the Great Soul. “I don’t know what madness has seized you, but I will—”
Nezzar came hurtling toward the man, a hexagonal meteor flung by Leonis with all his might. It flew like a spear right at the Great Soul, who let out a squawk and tried to dodge once more, but Jova’s fear power made him slow, or perhaps Nezzar simply came too fast, for the club smashed into the man’s stomach, doubling him over, and causing him to drop from the sky.
Scorio pounced on him the second he hit the cobblestones, only to bounce off the man’s Shroud. Naomi came in low and fast, dodging in from the side, but the Great Soul moved his Shroud before her too, foiling her attack.
But then Juniper was there, closing in from behind, and she unleashed a flurry of punches, each leaving behind her trademark flashing brilliance which hung suspended in the air, blinding the man so that he raised a forearm to shield his eyes.
Butterflies settled on his shoulders. Lianshi tackled him, knocking him onto his back, and with a snarl, the Great Soul let loose a torrent of flame directly into her chest. But Lianshi’s form glimmered, becoming invulnerable so that the flames simply curled ineffectively around her, and then Scorio leaped and brought his claws down on the man’s neck.
His talons sheared through skin and flesh and slashed the Great Soul’s throat wide open.
Xiang let out a gasping gurgle, the flames disappearing, and clasped his hands to the wound. Bright blood flooded out between his fingers as he stared at Scorio, still on some level confused by what had happened.
Scorio reared back, releasing his scaled form, stunned by what he’d just done. The other Great Souls gathered in a circle about the man and simply watched as the blood ceased pumping from the wound.
A few moments later he let his hands fall away, blinked, and died.
Jova looked to Scorio, her face ashen. “What did you do?”
Panic blossomed in his gut. “What I had to. He just killed a bunch of innocent people.”
“Innocent? They were rebelling. They knew what they were risking.” Jova’s voice was venomous. “This Flame Vault was just obeying his orders.”
Naomi spat. “If you obey heinous orders, you’re no better than a criminal.”
Zala had her hand to her mouth. “What do we do now?”
Scorio grimaced. “I was the one who killed him. You’re not involved with this.”
“Like hell,” said Leonis. “We helped bring him down. And I’m glad. I’ll take the punishment, same as you.”
A new voice intruded into their panicked conversation. “That might not be necessary. Hello, Scorio.”
Nissa stood just beyond their group, hairless and mostly naked, her clothing burned away, her form charred and blackened, her eyes a shocking white against her cindered skin. She should be dead, burned as she was, but somehow she stood confident and tense, shoulders squared, chin raised.
“Nissa?”
“So you recognize me this time.” Her smile was grim, her teeth bright against her split, raw lips. “I thought you might have forgotten, given where you’ve been living.”
“The Academy? You knew?”
“Of course. I saw you in the streets several times, doing the Academy’s work. And who could have missed the role you played in defeating Imogen the Woe?”
“This is nice and all,” said Leonis, “but we don’t have time to stand around chatting. We’ve still got hundreds of Great Souls searching for us.”
“No,” agreed Nissa. “This death will stir up the Houses like a hornet’s nest. They react poorly to having their members killed. All four of them will come after you now.”
“Damn it,” whispered Scorio, raking a hand through his hair. “We need to get to The Flame. We need to speak with Manticore and get out of the city now.”
Nissa laughed. It was so eerie to see her charred corpse do so. “You think you have time to negotiate an exit?”
Jova stepped forward. “You’re a Great Soul?”
“Technically.”
Jova frowned at Scorio, a dozen questions no doubt on her lips, then hewed to the essential. “You obviously have an offer.”
“Sure.” Nissa looked Jova up and down. “For Scorio, mainly, seeing as we go back and how he’s the one who killed this bastard.” And she kicked Xiang’s corpse. “But the rest of you can tag along if he vouches for you.”
“Tag along where?” asked Scorio.
“We have safe houses around the city.” Nissa’s eyes narrowed. “A few places deep below ground where Great Souls don’t think to look. I can take you to one.”
Naomi glowered. “In exchange for what?”
“I actually don’t know.” Nissa shrugged. “Mostly because I owe Scorio one, and he’s gladdened my heart by killing this Enforcer. But there’s a rebellion going on, in case you didn’t notice.” She turned and gestured at the scores of burned bodies. “A righteous one. Maybe you all can play a role in that. We could use the help.”
“We’ve bigger concerns,” said Jova immediately. “And rebelling against the Houses is an idiot’s cause.”
Nissa raised a scorched brow. “What would you call killing a House Enforcer, then?”
Jova glared at Scorio. “An idiot’s doing.”
Scorio raised both palms. “The sooner we get off the streets the better. As soon as word reaches Praximar he’ll be only too happy to send the real heavy hitters after us.” Scorio inhaled deeply, trying to marshal his thoughts. “You all don’t need to come with me. In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t. Head to The Flame, tell Feiyan I sent you, and ask her to connect you with Manticore.”
“You really are a fool if you think we’re splitting up,” said Lianshi.
Leonis crossed his arms. “Agreed.”
Naomi nodded, and Scorio looked to Jova, who grimaced and studied the street. “I left the Academy because I believed you could lead me to greater truths. Without you, this quest collapses immediately. So no, I’m not going to cut and run at the first challenge. We’ll follow you to this safe house and see what options present themselves. Right?”
Zala and Juniper nodded, but their uncertainty was clear.
“Great.” Nissa’s satisfaction was evident. “Then let’s get going.” She strode toward the milling crowd of protestors. “Garrax, lead everyone back to Ward 4. This area’s grown too dangerous. Regroup there, and we’ll send word as to what’s coming next.”
Garrax, a heavyset young man with half his face covered in a wine stain-like birthmark, nodded vigorously and began leading the crowd away.
“Let’s go,” said Nissa and broke into a run. Scorio pounded after her, feeling worn out, weary, and exhausted from using so much mana in such a short time. They’d not even had time to recover from the Gauntlet. Had that only been an hour ago? His head spun, his limbs were leaden, and he felt raw on the inside. Still, he surprised himself at being able to keep a good pace; being a Tomb Spark had given him new reserves of energy and strength, and he kept up with Nissa without difficulty. She ran toward the ruins, leaving the Academy’s Ward behind as she led him through a maze of backstreets and alleys.
There was no time for conversation. Occasionally they heard the tramp of feet, shouts, or chanting coming from a block over, from the main avenues. Overhead, smoke wreathed the streets, and the occasional fire flickered and danced as piles of trash were burned at intersections.
Finally, Nissa turned into a blind courtyard. Old buildings enclosed it on all sides, windows shuttered, and the place had an air of abandonment to it. Nissa didn’t hesitate. She crossed to a dead tree whose bleached roots yet clutched at powdery dirt and gray rock, and lifted what looked to be a large rock but which proved to be a cunningly crafted cover. Behind it was a narrow chute leading straight down.