The Tower's Alchemist (The Gray Tower Trilogy, #1)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “Could I interest the lady and gentleman in a sweet glass of Cuvée?” The server, Jean, clasped his hands together and smiled.

  “Yes, thank you.” Brande looked a little bored, but when he gazed at me, his eyes lit up.

  “And would you like me to take your sweater, miss? We’ll be starting the fireplace soon, so you won’t have to worry about it being as cool inside.”

  “We’re fine,” I replied. “And we’d like the Cuvée chilled.”

  “As you say.” He left to retrieve our bottle of champagne.

  I stared at Brande, and it was like I was seeing him clearer than ever. Though he rarely smiled or expressed excitement, I could simply look into his eyes and tell what he felt. His demeanor carried a quiet strength that I found reassuring. And then there was something inside him that made his exterior even more appealing; he had an intelligent, compassionate, and wonderful mind that shone through.

  I couldn’t help but think of how I used to laugh when our receptionist, Bernadine, would fall over him every time he’d come to visit me at the Baker Street office. She would pout her lips, speak to him with a syrupy voice, and find any excuse to touch his hand. Now, if I caught Bernadine speaking to him, I’d be tempted to whack her with a Circle of Silence.

  “What time is it?” Brande rested his hand next to mine. We were sitting next to each other in one of the booths.

  “Don’t worry, we have a few minutes left. Just enjoy the atmosphere.”

  “Do you like places like this?” He slowly pulled his hand back down to his side.

  “Yes,” I faced him, trying to interrupt the awkwardness with a typical taunt. “I swear, you need to get out of the Gray Tower more! Do you like it here?”

  “I do.”

  “If you prefer more lively places, then I know this bar in Cairo...”

  “I had a lively time just tracking you down in a park earlier today.”

  “What can I say? I love excitement. It certainly helped me say yes to SOE and the Order.” But then the excitement wore off with harsh reality and the mundane, and I got tired.

  “If the Order never invited you to join, what do you think you’d be doing?” He sounded more like he wanted to ask himself this question.

  “SOE recruited me because they needed wizards,” I said. “I’d probably still be working as a clerk for the ambassador, or even back home teaching. How about you?”

  “I don’t know. I came to the Gray Tower when I was sixteen, and it’s all I’ve known. Even for my formal schooling, they’d invite professors to come in from the University of Prague to instruct younger members. It seemed the younger you were when you entered, the fiercer their grip was on you.”

  I knew it! Deep inside, even he noticed how they manipulated people. “At least I enjoyed a little independence and freedom before I came. I swear if I see Leto Priya again, I’ll punch him right in his face—Master or not.”

  Jean came back with our champagne. “Your chilled bottle of Cuvée.”

  He uncorked the bottle and filled our glasses. We both thanked him before taking our drinks in silence. Brande asked for the time again.

  I sighed when I peeked at the clock on the wall opposite me. “We should head down to the cellars.”

  I finished my drink and led Brande down the same way Simon had led me. As planned, everyone else took their assigned entrances: Gabriel the east entrance, Lucien the west, and Ernest would come in from the south. I had telephoned Simon earlier so Lucien would be able to go to the records hall and find a map of the city to work with.

  We trudged through the winding tunnels, keeping an eye on the markings and going by memory of the map. Most of the tunnels had iron sconces mounted every few feet on the walls, with large candles giving off flickering light. Frescoes with fading and chipping paint covered the ceiling, and, of course, graffiti from past and present. When the tunnel grew darker, we knew we were close to the entrance, and we proceeded cautiously. We peeked around the corner and saw two armed SS officers guarding a steel door. A single ceiling lamp, powered by electricity within the lab, lit their path so they could spot anyone approaching.

  I unbuttoned my sweater and let it slip to the ground. I wore a black shirt and cargo pants, with my knife stored in one of my pockets, and my pistol in my holster. My bracelet made with vitriol still hung on my wrist, and I stood ready.

  We needed to neutralize the guards before they triggered the external alarm, and then we had to subdue the officer who would be at the front desk before he sounded the internal alarm. Brande increased the heat in the ceiling lamp’s bulb, so that it cracked and went out, making the tunnel completely dark. He used this moment of confusion to approach the guards. I heard a scuffle, a confused gasp, and then silence. They were dead at a single touch.

  Brande ignited a small flame to give us light as I scraped the black vitriol in my bracelet against the keyhole. The lock instantaneously corroded and fell apart. We opened the door and went through, I immediately grabbed my silver knife and laid a Circle of Silence while Brande forced the guard at the desk toward us with Air. The officer came flying toward us and maneuvered himself so he could kick Brande, but he cut off the spell, and the officer dropped to the floor. He quickly got to his feet and made a quick jab at Brande, who blocked him. They continued fighting as I made my way over to the desk to disable the alarm.

  Goosebumps ran up my arms, and my stomach tightened. I could already feel the presence of a Black Wolf here, perhaps two. Brande was smart to conserve his magical energy, since the real battle hadn’t started yet.

  As I took my knife and began cutting wires and readjusting them, I also thought about Simon and why he didn’t tell us Black Wolves were here. He had led me to believe there were only just a handful of German Armed Forces soldiers, and of course, I anticipated the possibility of running into Praskovya and any other warlocks. Although I felt that something was wrong, I knew I had to stick to our plan. Our lives depended on each of us accomplishing our assigned tasks.

  I patched up the control panel to the alarm and stood to get a view of Brande. He had subdued the guard, and I could see blood splattered on the floor near the guard’s body. Brande stepped over him and approached.

  “You can release the Circle now,” he told me. “You’ll have more energy for the Sublimations.”

  I nodded and leaned against the desk. We were in the section called “Chamber One,” a mid-sized room with only the desk, some maps, and notes hanging on the wall behind it, and two corridors on the right and left sides.

  “Give me a boost first.” I pointed toward a large grate on the ceiling which would open up into the ducts where electricians and engineers crawled in to work on the electrical system or maintain the venting. I would need to go throughout the ducts, planting Sublimation symbols along the way and readjusting the wiring. When I could no longer hold off the Sublimations, I’d release them, and then the entire laboratory would go up in flames.

  I jumped onto the desk and pulled on the grate. It came down with little effort, Brande helped steady it and set it aside. He climbed on top of the table with me and held onto my waist, giving me the boost I needed when I jumped.

  “I’ll take the left corridor.” Brande paused and listened. We heard voices and gunshots.

  I crawled into the duct and let him replace the grate. I moved through, trying my best to cause the least amount of noise. Every few feet, I would carve in a Sublimation symbol, without activating them. When I found some of the wiring I needed to rig, I set to work on those and then kept moving.

  I turned a corner and I felt Brande’s magic at work. By gauging the strength of his spells, I knew he had run into the Black Wolf. I could hear some of the other soldiers within the lab, some shouting orders and others engaged in a gunfight. I could hear Ernest and Lucien taunting them as they shot back at the fire and lured them away from the inner lab areas. Off in the distance, I heard metal ringing and slashing, and I thought of Father Gabriel.

/>   Just ahead, I saw a vent that let out into one of the research rooms. The light was on in the room below. I slowed my breathing and approached, peeking down into the room from my hiding place. Dr. Heilwig stood in there, mixing chemicals on an apparatus and storing a blue liquid in small tubes. If that liquid was anything like the black powder in Vélizy, then it would have to be destroyed as well. I was just about to whisper Heilwig’s name when I heard a familiar voice address him.

  “I think my brother will like this new formula. We’ll deliver it in the morning.” Marc came into view and walked over to Heilwig, observing him with that same look of avarice he held for any wizard whose blood he wanted to drink.

  I grimaced as I recalled the night I had escaped from him. I wanted to jump through the vent and blast him with a spell, but instead, I held myself back and listened to their exchange.

  “Then...do you think Octavian will let my wife go free?” Heilwig’s lips trembled, though he kept his hands steady. I could tell from the way he moved and spoke that he still suffered the effects of the stroke from the Teleportation spell.

  Marc sneered. “After that little incident at the university, you’re lucky to be alive.”

  “What about my wife?”

  “I’ll talk to my brother, but I want something in return.”

  “I have nothing, Marcellus.”

  “I know you’re out of the Gray Tower’s good graces, so a few dead wizards wouldn’t matter, right? I was wondering if you knew any exceptionally strong wizards I could...easily get my hands on. You know, like your friend Carson.”

  “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  Marc grunted. “Faithful till the bitter end. When will you learn that the Order has abandoned you?”

  “I see you’ve made no progress with Octavian.”

  “Oh, he’ll believe me once I find Carson. We just need to catch him before your beloved Gray Tower does.”

  “Carson died sixteen years ago.”

  “Like hell he did. That reminds me, I ran into his daughter a few days ago. She lit me on fire, shot me, and tried to make my heart explode...I like her.”

  “Well, I pray next time you run into her that she succeeds.”

  “You insolent bastard, do you want to be stuck in here the rest of your life? In a room with padded walls so you can’t see or hear anything?” He looked ready to lunge for Heilwig’s throat.

  “You want to talk about living?” Heilwig gritted his teeth. “You’re nothing but an empty shell. You wish to kill real wizards and steal their powers just to prove yourself better than your brother. Octavian’s no better than you, but at least he was born one of us...but you? You’re just a pathetic parasite.”

  Marc’s facial expression suddenly lost all amusement. “I should’ve drained you dry when I had the chance.”

  “One day you’ll get what you deserve, abomination.” Heilwig shook as he said this.

  “Do you want to know something?” Marc grinned and ran his finger across the apparatus as if inspecting it.

  “What, Marcellus?”

  “I killed your wife yesterday.”

  “Rosa...” A pain-stricken look of disbelief showed on his face, and his shoulders began to shake with quiet sobs. My heart hurt for him when he doubled over, almost breathless with grief.

  “I convinced Octavian that she really didn’t need to live, and after tonight, neither will you.”

  He placed his hand on Heilwig’s back. “There, old friend. See? Now you truly have nothing.”

  “Why her? I don’t care what happens to me, but why her?”

  Marc grabbed the tube filled with Heilwig’s concoction and set it in a dark wooden case with five others. He closed the lid and locked the case.

  “It was a pleasure doing business with you, doctor.”

  “Rosa...why?”

  “If you want to end this now, I’ll happily oblige you.”

  The door opened, and an SS officer entered. “Sir, the lab is under assault by wizards.”

  “Stay with Dr. Heilwig, and make sure no one comes in.” He rushed out of the room. The officer went to close the door behind him. As he shut the door, I scraped my enchanted bracelet against the grate like I did the Chamber One door, and the vent’s cover corroded and fell out.

  I quickly dropped in and struck the guard before he could pull his weapon. He stumbled backward, slightly dazed, and then steadied himself as he threw several punches. I blocked and dodged, and made a chop to his neck with the blade of my hand, emphasizing my lower wrist, where I knew the black vitriol would touch him. He screeched and clawed at his neck as he backed away, until he fell against the wall, blood gushing and a dark corrosive substance eating way at his flesh.

  “Dr. Heilwig!” I ran toward him and grabbed hold of him. I wanted to say something...anything about his wife. I didn’t know if Marc was lying or not, but the pain on Heilwig’s face showed that he had at least believed him. “Do you remember me?”

  “Of course, from the university. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m Isabella, Carson’s daughter, and he sent me to take you out of here.”

  He stared at me when I tried to pull him along. “What about Marcellus and the Black Wolves? And...Praskovya?”

  “Praskovya’s here?”

  “Her, and about four Black Wolves.”

  I wanted to curse. I thought at most there’d be two Black Wolves, not four. “Stay here while I scout ahead. If I’m not back in five minutes, get into that duct and crawl through to Chamber One. If you need to...there are Sublimation symbols along the ducts. I’m sure you’d know what to do with them.”

  “I can fight, too.”

  It would break my heart to tell him he couldn’t help. He didn’t have the necessary reflexes, and he still wore the gold imperium collar around his neck, which meant that his spells were limited; he could do nothing against Praskovya. “Dr. Heilwig...I don’t want to take that chance. My father said to find you, so I need you out of here and in those cellars.”

  He nodded. “Please, don’t tell me you came alone.”

  “Don’t worry, I have an Elite with me, two military men, and a priest.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to—”

  “Please, just do what I told you.”

  I made him close and lock the door behind me, and then I scouted the immediate area before deciding to head left, down the corridor. I heard two gunshots and a man painfully shrieking.

  Thankfully, I could still feel Brande, though the force of his magic wasn’t as fierce as before. I checked several research rooms just to make sure they were empty and, when I came out of the third one, I saw a Black Wolf approaching. This one was the most human looking one had ever seen, though his eyes shone an eerie red and his skin was as pale as a corpse.

  Before I could make a move, he gestured with his hand and paralyzed me. Like a flitting spirit, he was right in front of me, having only been down the hall a moment ago. The only thing that kept me from panicking was the fact that one of my Sublimation symbols had been carved into the duct right above us.

  Just as his skeletal fingers reached for my neck, I released the Sublimation symbol and caused an explosion. As fire and shrapnel came flying down, I regained my ability to move, and quickly dipped low, crouching beneath him so that he would take the brunt of the hit. He let out a deafening shriek, and the vibrations of his voice turned into an invisible force that slammed me to the ground.

  I quickly made my next move and drew my pistol, shoved it beneath his chin, and took a shot. He lunged toward me and sank his teeth into my right shoulder. I cried out in shock, but my vitriol bracelet kept me from feeling the pain. Another Sublimation symbol down the hall released, and an explosion erupted. I prayed none of my friends were down there and got caught in the fire. I forced myself to stay focused, knowing that with each slip up, I could blow us all up before we even had the chance to escape.

  I held the Black Wolf at bay with my forearm and scrap
ed the black vitriol against his face. As he roared and pushed himself off of me, I jumped away and ran down the corridor. I lost hold of another Sublimation symbol, and a second explosion nearly caught me from behind. The hallway blackened with smoke and heated up like an oven. When I heard the unintelligible tongue of the Black Wolf, probably cursing me, I ran into the nearest research room and hid behind the open door. I didn’t have time to close the door or else he’d notice, but I made sure to breathe as quietly as I could.

  Through the crack between the door’s hinges, I could see a German officer walking in with his rifle ready, but he didn’t venture too far into the room. We both heard feet dragging, and that awful guttural voice. The officer turned around and started screaming in German, “Stop! I’m on your side!”

  A few rounds went off and his gun flew to the other side of the room, clattering against the floor. I heard the Black Wolf grunt, then I heard teeth grinding, and what must’ve been the tearing of clothes, flesh and bone.

  I wasn’t going to stick around for that monster to corner me in the room, so I dashed over to the abandoned rifle, picked it up, and shot the Black Wolf in the back as he hunched over his prey. Though bullets riddled his body and my black vitriol corroded half his face, he still stood there alive, though clearly weakened. I ran toward him and kicked him in his head, then drew my pistol again and shot. I almost stumbled over him and the officer’s mangled body. When the Black Wolf backed off and began regurgitating a black liquid and human bones, I ran away.

  I forced my magical hold on the Sublimations to remain stable as I rushed down the hall. I couldn’t afford to unravel individual symbols anymore—not when it caused two or three other symbols to unintentionally fall apart and ignite explosions. When I thought I heard Praskovya’s voice, I made a right turn and headed toward Chamber Three. I grunted and held my breath as I stepped over mutilated bodies; one of them definitely looked like a Black Wolf.

  I went down the next corridor and crossed over to a storage area with crates. In a large open space I saw Praskovya fighting in hand-to-hand combat with Ernest. I knew her fighting style well, and I could tell she was toying with him. Ernest probably didn’t know that she was telekinetic and could kill him at any second without him being aware of what hit him.

  “Praskovya!” I hoped that my shout would distract her enough for Ernest to back off, or at least land another blow to stun her. However, she simultaneously faced me and sent Ernest flying into a crate. Then she sent a reinforced crate that hung above him to come plummeting down.

  I took my silver knife and quickly drew the symbol for Air. A blast of wind rose from the ground and met the falling crate just as it was about to crush Ernest. I managed to control and guide the crate so that it avoided hitting Ernest, and instead it headed straight toward Praskovya. She ducked, rolled, and with a flourish of her hand, sent me flying toward the other side of the room. I quickly got back onto my feet, expecting her to follow up with a physical attack, but she had disappeared.

  “Ernest, are you hurt?” I ran toward him, all the while thinking how odd it was that she left so quickly. It wasn’t like Praskovya to run.

  “I’m all right.” He shakily sat up and gazed at the ceiling, apparently in awe that the crate didn’t land on him.

  “Ernest,” I handled him as tenderly as I could. “I think your arm is broken.”

  “Well, I still have one good arm. Just give me a gun.” He yelped and winced when I tried to examine his injured arm.

  “Here, take this.” I slid my bracelet off and gave it to him. “It’ll dull the pain and protect you. Don’t go anywhere until one of us comes for you.”

  “Where did the Russian babe go?”

  “I don’t know...” I cursed under my breath when I realized Praskovya’s intentions. As I shouted my instructions to Ernest once more, I raced down the corridor, retracing my steps, in hopes of reaching Heilwig before Praskovya did.

  It took me a few minutes to make it back over to the research rooms, but when I arrived, Heilwig was gone. I noticed the case holding the formula was lying on the counter. I hid it in one of the drawers, sealing it with an alchemical symbol that would only open for an alchemist.

  “Noelle, this way!”

  “Simon! What are you doing here?” I could barely conceal my startled gaze. Didn’t I tell him to stay at home?

  “Hurry, love. This way!” He frantically gestured, and I followed.

  “Have you seen Praskovya?”

  “Yes, she’s looking for Dr. Heilwig. I think he escaped.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he went through the ducts after all. “Who’s still around, Simon? Can you tell me?”

  “I saw a man with a sword fighting Marcellus, and a young man in a gunfight with a soldier, but this is all so chaotic.”

  “Simon, do you have any more written formulas or important records?” We turned a corner and approached Chamber Six.

  “Yes, I keep it all in my office. Do you need them?”

  “It would make me very happy to have them.” I would eventually have to activate the rest of my Sublimation spells, and afterward there wouldn’t be anything left to save or take away from the laboratory.

  “It’s down here.” He led me further down the hall, to a door near the end with his name on it. He unlocked it and let me in.

  With no time to spare, I ran over to his desk and began grabbing papers, notes, and anything else that would be of use to SOE and the Allies later on.

  “Were you looking for something in particular?”

  “No, just...anything significant.” I folded the papers with haste and stuffed them into my cargo pockets. I instinctively looked up when I heard the door shut. Simon stood against the door, revolver drawn and pointed at me, a cold look in his eye.

  “Simon, this isn’t the time to play games. Put that away and help me.”

  I flinched when he fired a shot. The bullet whizzed past my ear. I instinctively brushed my finger against my Agate stone ring, which helped deflect bullets, but it didn’t make me impervious to them.

  “We need to talk, Noelle.”

  “Well, it seems the red garnet spell finally wore off.”

  “No, I still feel the same. How many times must I tell you my feelings are genuine?”

  The door opened and Praskovya came in. she wore an expression of mild shock, but smirked when she saw me in my predicament. Simon ignored her and spoke to me again.

  “I went out today and saw you this morning at the park. I saw you with him!”

  “I—”

  “Quiet.” His lower lip trembled, and his eyes bulged. “Why...why couldn’t you be that way with me?”

  “Mister Vester,” Praskovya said, “just shoot her and get it over with. We must find Heilwig and go.”

  “Stay out of this, Nikon.”

  “Simon.” I kept my voice level. “You’re still under the enchantment, and for it to last this long, you must’ve fed into it.”

  He dismissed my statement with an indignant look. “Remember that couple we saw in Ruinart? And remember the question I asked?”

  “Simon...” the next gunshot grazed my right arm, and I flinched as I sucked in a quick painful breath. I could feel a small stream of blood travel down and drip from my fingers. Though my legs quivered and my arms felt weak, I tried my best to not appear afraid. Showing him fear would only embolden him and make him feel more powerful.

  “I asked you if you remembered.”

  “Y-yes, Simon. I remember them.”

  “The way they looked at each other...it was the same way you two looked at each other. Now, I did everything you asked, so why don’t you love me?”

  “If you want me to answer,” I said, “put the gun away. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve laid Sublimations throughout the lab. If you shoot me, this entire place will explode.”

  “Sir,” Praskovya spoke slowly, apparently not wanting to provoke him in his instability. “Don’t shoot. Our first priority is find
ing Heilwig.”

  His eyes bulged again. “Oh shut up, Nikon! If you would let a man touch you every now and then, maybe you’d understand what I’m talking about, instead of reacting like a heartless bitch.”

  Simon’s gun flew out of his hand and into Praskovya’s. She shot him right in between his eyes—and then she shot him three more times before he even hit the ground.

  “You’re out of bullets, Praskovya.” I thought I’d remind her since she had turned the gun on me.

  “Then let’s play a game, Isabella.” She dropped the gun. “Let’s play...who can find the doctor first?”

  She sent both the desk and me flying toward the ceiling. I braced myself as I hit the roof and grunted in pain when the desk crashed against my back and knocked the breath out of me. Loose papers flew and encircled me like a tornado, so that I could barely see. When I landed with a crash, she had already gone out the door. I rose to my feet, back aching, and limped over to Simon’s body. I slid Heilwig’s ring off his finger and placed it on my own, then headed out the door toward Chamber One.

  I ran as fast as I could, taking every shortcut I could remember. If Heilwig wasn’t distracted or withheld, he should have followed the symbols carved in the ducts and be at the Ruinart entrance, if not already in the caves. As I raced through corridors and Chambers, I noticed the eerie silence permeating the laboratory. Worry caught hold of me, but I pressed on, remembering what my father had told me. I needed to bring Heilwig to safety, and he needed to remain by my side.

  After whisking through one last corridor, I finally arrived where I began, in Chamber One with the solitaire desk and the maps on the wall. I clenched my teeth when I remembered the six vials in the drawer, and hoped that I wouldn’t forget them before I ignited the place. When I heard the fall of footsteps coming in my direction from the corridor that Brande had taken earlier, I used my knife to enclose myself in a loose circular formation of symbols representing the four elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.

  I pivoted and swept my foot across the symbols, feeding them with energy. I would only be able to do this once, or else I wouldn’t be strong enough to hold off those Sublimations in the ducts. I drew my pistol and waited. Sure enough, Praskovya came striding into the Chamber with Heilwig in tow. She held a colt revolver to the back of his head, and the case with the six vials was nestled under her other arm. Heilwig must have attempted to retrieve the case when Praskovya surprised him.

  “It appears I’ve won.” She gestured with a quick nod, ordering me to drop my weapon.

  “It isn’t over yet.” I placed my pistol on the ground and stood with hands raised.

  “Which do you care about more? Is it the doctor, or this formula that could destroy thousands of more lives? Which would you take?”

  “Are you offering me one or the other?” I started trying to figure out what her angle was.

  “Yes.”

  “Please,” Heilwig sank to his knees and crossed his hands behind his head. “Take the formula. They’ve already used me to spread their evil doctrines and to kill, and I selfishly went along, trying to save my Rosa. I shouldn’t have done this.”

  “If I were you, I’d take the formula, Isabella. He’s outlived his use to everyone, even the Gray Tower.” She cocked the revolver.

  “Why don’t you take both, Praskovya?”

  “Because you’ve laid Sublimation spells and would be willing to kill us all to keep me from taking him and the formula. However, I’m willing to compromise; we could at least walk away with something.”

  “I don’t—”

  “I know you just as well as you know me...and I think you’re tired of all this. Isabella, what better way to return to London than in victory? You’ve done your duty...if you continue, you’ll only end up like me.”

  Okay, maybe being broken wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to me, but I knew I’d never become a turncoat like Praskovya. “No. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve already got samples of the original formula, and they’re on their way to the British by now. The Allies would figure out sooner or later how to counteract the new one.”

  “Wrong. Again. The products at the Vélizy factory were carefully crafted decoys. The real stockpile is here.”

  My stomach tightened and my right hand involuntarily trembled. All I could think about was the trouble I had gone through at Vélizy, of victims like Timothy and all the lives that were risked and lost. If the decoys took most of my energy to work on and neutralize, then I wouldn’t even have a chance if I tried to replicate the neutralization with the real stockpile. How much more powerful were the real chemical weapons? The Plague was powerful enough to destroy the entire world.

  I gulped. “Well, I guess that’s all the more reason for me to bring this place crashing down on us, Praskovya.”

  Hopefully that wouldn’t be the case for my friends and me. I could already feel my hold on the symbols weakening, and my hand shook again. When another Sublimation gave way and an explosion could be heard from one of the chambers on the other side, my stomach tightened and I tried not to think about how I may have just killed Ernest or Lucien.

  “I don’t plan to die today,” Praskovya said, “and neither do you. Let’s be reasonable.” She slid the case over toward me, and it halted between us.

  “Take it.” Praskovya shoved the gun in between Heilwig’s shoulder blades. “Serve the greater good, and you can go back and tell SOE that you’ve saved thousands of lives by retrieving the formula.”

  Her words triggered my painful memory of that Orleans job. That pig Maquis leader said it had all been for the greater good and he boasted of how we had saved thousands of lives, if not millions. But he did it with blood on his hands...on my hands too. No, I wouldn’t leave Heilwig to be shot in the head or eaten by Marc so that I could boast about how I served the greater good. I’d find a way to get both him and the formula.

  “I want Heilwig.”

  She waited so long to respond that I thought she’d refuse. “Get up, and go to her.”

  As soon as Heilwig rose to his feet, I set off my Air symbol and mentally guided the strong gust of wind toward Praskovya. I knew she’d try to shoot Heilwig in the back. She flew backward, hit the wall with a crack, and fell to the floor. Heilwig grabbed the case and dashed toward me.

  Praskovya jumped to her feet and fired a few shots at us. I ran forward and deflected two bullets, though the action made my grazed arm sting and run with more blood. I shouted for Heilwig to keep running and head for the Ruinart cellars. When I heard the front door open and shut, I felt a surge of confidence and energy. At least Heilwig made it out.

  “Bravo, Isabella.” She slipped her gun into her holster with an arrogant grin. “But there is something you’ve forgotten.”

  “Go ahead, enlighten me.” I stood ready to activate all four symbols and wreak havoc.

  “Where are your friends?”

  “I’m not playing your games anymore.” Though I spoke these words, fear grew inside me. Where were they? And why couldn’t I feel Brande?

  “Perhaps Marcellus is feasting on their blood.” She smiled. “But not Drahomir, I sent the Wolves after him.”

  I hated the fact that my emotions had the better of me in this moment, and I especially hated that she knew exactly where to strike. The fury within me began to burn.

  “Where’s Marc?”

  “I don’t know, but you should go look for him.”

  “I think you’re lying.” My chest tightened, and my stomach ached. Now I knew how Heilwig had felt when he heard about his wife. I prayed they were all safe, especially Brande. Defeating a few Black Wolves on your own might as well have been like raising the dead with a snap of your fingers.

  I fired a shot to distract her, knowing she’d use her powers to halt or deflect the bullet. I rushed her and pistol-whipped her, and she reciprocated with a middle-kick to my rib, to which I countered with a right hook. We both backed away, heaving and limping. When I heard Ernest call my na
me from the left corridor, my heart leapt, and I quickly delivered another strike, which she, in turn, blocked. She broke away and fled toward the corridor on the right. I was ready to follow her when I turned to see Ernest and Gabriel, hauling an unconscious Brande in between them, and Lucien trailing after them, using a makeshift walking stick to support his gait.

  “What happened to him?” I ran toward them and switched places with Gabriel, placing Brande’s left arm across my shoulders, supporting him.

  “It was a couple of Black Wolves.” Gabriel’s right cheek was swollen, and the cut under his left eye bled. “I tried to heal him, but whatever spell hit him...the Circle of Healing didn’t work.”

  Ernest held onto Brande from the right, almost oblivious to his own injuries because he still wore the bracelet. “Tough guy. He went up against all four Black Wolves.”

  “That damned vampire bit me.” Lucien scowled as he rotated his left arm. “Then he said I wasn’t his type.”

  “That was a Cruenti warlock,” Gabriel said as he sidled next to him and helped him walk. “And without his head, he’ll never bite anyone else again.”

  I felt Brande’s cheek against mine, and I grew alarmed at how cold it was. His face felt like a block of ice. What did those monsters do to him? He still breathed, but his breaths were so slow and laborious that it seemed he would stop at any moment.

  “Brande, can you hear me?” My heart sank when his eyes didn’t open. Not a single movement, not even a groan of pain. He was unresponsive and silent.

  Ernest looked at me. “I’m sorry...”

  I shook my head. “No! We need to help him.” I took a deep breath and tried not to panic. He couldn’t die...I wouldn’t let him.

  “What can we do?” Lucien asked.

  The only thing I could think of was the bracelet. It was charged with enough power and protection to at least keep Brande breathing. “I’m sorry, Ernest, I’m going to have to ask for the bracelet. It’s the only thing that’ll help him right now.”

  “Sure.” He slipped it off and slid it onto Brande’s wrist, but began shouting in pain and cursing. He refused to let Gabriel take his place, and insisted that he had endured worse as a soldier.

  My hand trembled again. I felt the ties holding back the Sublimation symbols unravel. “Let’s get out of here so I can blow this place up. Heilwig’s waiting for us in the cellars.”