Jordan reached out and gripped Shelby’s hand. “We don’t want to get caught around here.”
Under normal circumstances, Shelby might have enjoyed having her hand held. Now, her hand was cold and clammy. All thoughts of affection had been replaced by fear.
“We need to find Professor Baxter.”
“What about Irene?” Her sister was the whole reason they’d followed after Juliana and Shalise in the first place.
“Her too,” Jordan said as he led them through the halls in the same direction Professor Baxter had gone several minutes earlier. “Though she wasn’t with Shalise and Juliana. She’s probably not in Hell.”
That was only a small relief. Shelby had seen the army outside. If her sister had gotten mixed up in that…
She didn’t know what she’d tell mom.
“I still don’t know why she skipped class. It isn’t like her.”
“She has been on edge lately,” Shelby said. “Every day seems worse. I was hoping she was finally going to make up with Eva, or just relax, but now this. I can’t help but wonder if it was all a lie.”
“I doubt Eva had anything to do with this,” Jordan said, giving her hand a small squeeze. “Not unless I severely misread her personality.”
Shelby smiled at the reassurance. She wasn’t about to decide either way until she heard it straight from the horse’s mouth, but Jordan knew plenty she didn’t. More than that, Shelby trusted him to give a straight answer. Especially about serious issues.
“Come on, out there.”
“Out there?” All the faint happiness died with those four words. Jordan was looking straight out at the army. “We can’t go out there. Even if you can keep your shadow thing–”
“The little girl, the one from Professor Baxter’s class, is a demon too.”
“Another one? Then we definitely–”
Jordan shook his head. Shelby barely registered him pulling her close and putting an arm around her shoulders. “Arachne is out there too. They’re helping fight. And the fight looks almost over.”
Shelby’s vision went black before she could protest.
When her vision returned, it was accompanied by the cool outside air.
A black-nailed hand stopped moving just an inch from her face.
Shelby stumbled backwards with all the reaction time of a sloth. A drunk sloth. She fell to the ground, dragging Jordan down on top of her.
“You are students.”
The owner of the black-nailed hand stared down at the two of them with cold, dead eyes. Despite the fact that the eyes were sitting on the face of a ten-year-old, Shelby felt herself being weighed and measured.
If she was found wanting, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would not survive.
“We are. We need–” Jordan cut himself off with a glance to one side. After a brief moment, he nodded and looked back towards the demon.
“I apologize for intruding on your shadow.” He bowed his head until he was looking straight down at the ground. “We have information we felt should be delivered with haste.”
Shelby held her breath as the weighing continued. After what felt like an eon and then some, the demon–Ylva, Zoe had introduced her as–lowered her arm.
“We will receive your information.”
Jordan glanced up with a faint smile on his face. “The male professor that is also a demon–”
“Zagan.”
Jordan flinched at the demon’s word, but nodded. “We watched him follow Juliana and Shalise into a room with a transference circle. He left. They disappeared from the room. He then failed to mention either of them when Professor Baxter asked. We knew you were associated with Professor Baxter and Eva. Not knowing where they are, we sought you out.”
Silence grew as they waited for her to respond. Every second that passed brought along a slightly colder wind. Shelby didn’t have her jacket with her and the cold quickly leeched away the warmth from being indoors.
Out of the corner of Shelby’s eye, she noted the black carapace of Arachne run towards one of the few remaining creatures that made up the army. She tore off the creature’s arms, then legs. Shelby pointedly turned away when she started pulling the thing’s insides out.
“We understand your implications. You wish to be rewarded for this information?”
“No. Nev–”
“Yes,” Shelby cut Jordan off. He looked at her with wide eyes and slowly shook his head. Shelby ignored him. “My sister, Irene. She’s been missing since the start of this. The last time we saw her was with Eva at lunch.”
“We own a clairvoyant. She spotted Eva with a companion when this began, according to Arachne,” the demon said with a slight glance off to the side.
Shelby sagged in relief, not even caring that her own eyes had drifted to the other demon and the target that was being disemboweled.
Her relief ground to a halt with Ylva’s next words.
“Eva’s whereabouts are unknown. As are those of her companion.”
“But… that–”
Jordan squeezed Shelby’s hand once again. “Doesn’t mean any harm has come to either of them.”
“I just want to find her.”
“And we–”
Professor Baxter appeared before them, a single step behind Ylva.
At least, she thought it was the professor. Shelby’s eyes widened as she took in the state of the woman.
Most of her suit was covered in dirt. Half of it had been burned clear away. Whatever hit her suit hadn’t stopped there. A massive spot of charred flesh lay just beneath her right breast. Several boils and burns spread out from the burnt circle.
Her mud covered face was twisted into a tight grimace. She had her lips pressed into a thin line and Shelby could tell that her teeth were clenched tightly behind.
Zoe looked like she was only standing though sheer force of will.
“Professor Baxter,” Jordan said, “we–”
“I’m sorry. No time.”
Professor Baxter twitched the dagger in her hand. Her voice boomed out over the battlefield.
“ARACHNE!”
— — —
Genoa narrowed her eyes. “Which side is the enemy?”
“The nuns,” Zoe said. “Eva did not part on good terms with them. Though I’m not sure who or what the peasants are. They could be just as hostile.”
“Everyone then.”
Genoa had a look in her eye. One that Zoe had never seen before. It was a dangerous look, something she’d expect to see on Arachne. The only difference was that Arachne got the look for no reason, while Genoa had reason enough.
The rage of a mother was a scary sight to behold.
Noticing the look Zoe gave her, Genoa pressed her sunglasses up on her face, obscuring her eyes.
“We’re wasting time.”
Zoe gripped her dagger. With a deep breath, she glanced at her friend. “Right.”
In the blink of an eye, Genoa vanished.
A dust storm erupted over the combatants. Only Zoe’s enhanced sight allowed her to see the vague outlines of the nearest group.
She moved out while the dust had everyone occupied.
There wasn’t much cover in the prison aside from the walls of buildings. It was designed that way on purpose. Letting prisoners hide from guards would have led to ambushes and escapes.
Zoe walked out in the open. Room to dodge was more important than hiding behind the handful of sagebrush that had grown since the prison last saw proper maintenance.
Repeated slashes of her dagger sent razor-thin blades of wind through the air.
The black-cloaked mage didn’t even acknowledge the wind. A shield flickered up around her, tanking the hits. She didn’t even turn towards Zoe, choosing instead to incinerate one of the peasants with white fire.
For all Zoe knew, the mage didn’t notice. The wind was invisible and Wayne had said that their shields were ridiculously strong.
Zoe sent a light gust of air. Nothing big, nothing sharp. Air had to be getting through their shields or they would asphyxiate.
She was pleased to note the billowing of the mage’s cloak. Some things could get through.