The pity Gentry felt for the orcan man shriveled, forgotten in the wake of her rage. She knew that habit, had memorized it from the countless hours waiting for her father to return from the casino.
She’d found the bastard. At last.
seventeen
Kit
Excerpt from Gentry’s research notes:
3rd notebook — page 291
The Underground
Dark magic requires dark places, and it was the biggest obstacle for the witches of Skadra during the War. Thecity of Skadra is perpetually in the sun, and all the biggest weapons in the War needed a place to retreat.
That’s why the building site of Skadra was strategic — it was actually the site of a dragon roosting ground where their eggs were hatched in the sands. Dragons loved lairs and heat, and so they dug tunnels beneath the sides with their claws and breath to provide both.
Darisius — the leader of the Weavers — vanquished the dragons and established Skadra above these tunnels, which made the home base for the witches during the War. The tunnels were perfect for experiments and manufacturing of all sorts — chimeras, vampyres, poisons.
Today, those tunnels are known as the Underground, and their purpose has changed little. Any coven or shop that wants to be taken seriously has a presence down there. It’s the only place for the vampyres to avoid the sun.
Unfortunately, it seems as though witches stay tight-lipped in the forums about the Underground.
It may be worth looking for a cure down there,provided I ever escape from this fucking place.
Kit felt the instant something changed. Gentry tensed beside him, her eyebrows drawn together as her eyes tracked someone below in the crowd.
The mark on his collarbone burned like an iron underneath his shirt and air fled his lungs. The Favor left nothing to the imagination; it would choke him to death if he didn’t help.
“Where is he?” Kit asked, putting a palm on the girl’s cheek. He’d need to dispel the vision spell so that she’d be able to walk, cause they sure as hell weren’t letting her father get away. This shit endedtoday. He couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
Gentry hadn’t moved an inch, and he doubted she’d noticed his discomfort. “The man in the striped Hawaiian and baseball cap.”
A quick look confirmed her words. At this distance, the man looked no bigger than an ant, but Kit wasn’t letting him out of his sight. “Let’s go,” he murmured, standing up and lending Gentry his arm. She took it, deceptively subdued and calm. They walked down the stairs towards the bulk of the crowd at a leisurely pace. Their prey kept pacing back and forth, his hands grabbing at his face.
He must’ve lost. Losers never change.As the distance decreased, Kit could see tufts of black hair coming out of the man’s cap, not unlike Gentry’s.
“Look away from him every once in a while,” she instructed, “he’s skittish. He will bolt on a dime.”
Kit obeyed, gritting his teeth. Tucking tail sounded exactly what a man who’d sold out his own daughter would do. Even asthe Favor took his free will away, he could muster some anger on behalf of the woman beside him. No one deservedthat.
Gentry pulled at his arm, urging him to take steps faster. “I thought you said to be cautious,” he said. The girl wasn’t following her own rules.
“He’s about to leave. He stopped pacing.”
Together, they exited the colosseum out into the concourse and ran down the stairs to the first level. The booming announcement of another fight added to the chaos. Gentry sprinted, but Kit easily kept up. He saved her from a nasty fall when her foot missed a step, her thin shoulder fragile in his grip.
“Careful,” he instructed, but shut up when they caught a glimpse of the Hawaiian shirt going through an exit. The bastard fled fast, even when he didn’t realize he was being followed. Kit worried.DidGentry’s father know he was being followed? Gentry must’ve gotten her smarts from somewhere.
In sync, he and Gentry went to that same door and he held her back from following and counted down five seconds from his fingers. It felt like an eternity. Then Kit opened the door, his eyes immediately going towards the sky and hundreds of brooms.
“Over there.” A tug on his sleeve brought his gaze downward.
To his surprise, the middle-aged witch was leisurely strolling across the parking lot, his hands in his pockets and his head ducked.
More stupid than his daughter then.The realization brought little relief as he once again felt the magic of the unfulfilled Favor burning on his collarbone. The final mark on his neck would hurt like a bitch when she claimed it. He resigned himself to that fate.
Gentry let out a little frustrated growl from beside him. “I think he’s onto us,” she said, “we can’t let him out of our sight. He’s good at blending in.”
