“Yeah, well.”Erik rocked a little, keeping his muscles nice and warm in case some-damn-thingelsehappened.“See if you can find her shoe, huh?”
“Oh, my lady’sshoehas gone missing?”Jake didn’t quite roll his eyes, but it was close.“The tragedy.”
“She’s got to vanish without a trace.”There were no cameras high on the brick walls, but he still checked.The one over a restaurant’s back door, before the alley made a hard ninety-degree turn and went past a kitchen in the bottom of the skyscraper next door, was pointed down to catch whoever was exiting, that was all.Maybe she was taking a shortcut?Or she’d gotten lost?
Yet another thing that didn’t matter.Outside the range of that electronic eye, the Sons and their new treasure were safe enough.
“You knocked her right out of her heels.”Jake found that funny.At least, he laughed, like a good Younger providing amusement and hijinks to help an Elder hold on.“Man, you are something else.”
“Born that way,” Erik muttered.He eased forward, taking in what he could of the woman.That dark hair was in a real tangle.He wondered if she was pretty.Not like it mattered much, once she’d been betrayed to the Flame she’d be well-nigh irresistible.“Lucky lady, huh?Gonna wake up like Sleeping Beauty and get everything she ever wanted.”
Nothing was too good for alirai.The fact that the vast mass of humanity was unconscious of the debt everything on this spinning rock owed to the Dreamers just meant those whodidknow had to pay double.
Or more.
“I’m sure she’s real grateful.”Jake obviously couldn’t help himself.He kept laughing, and fished a grey suede heel out of a pile of damp black plastic garbage bags on the other side of the alley.“Goddamn, man, right out of her shoes.It’s meant to be.A modern fairytale.”
“You’re an asshole,” Erik said, but not very loudly.He brushed aside some of her hair, wondering what she did for a living.Was she meeting someone?The silky strands clung to his fingers, and he was suddenly very aware that he was painted in underside sludge, blood, and various other things.
What the fuck was she doing in a rancid alley after dark?
Didn’t matter.The priority was getting her to the temple before she woke up.Once she was inside those walls and Father was alerted, matters would take their natural course.
He spread his hand over her shoulder, let a little tingle of power slip across the gap and into her.If he hadn’t already known she waslirai, it would have been confirmed by even a cursory touch.The radiation effect crawled up his arm, narcotic honey, and there didn’t seem to be any internal injuries.It was a moment’s work to get theliraiover his shoulder.He’d have to go slowly, but Jake would watch his six and engage any hostiles.A nice early evening jog across rooftops, with a bouncing, deadweight burden.
At least she wasn’t throwing up, or screaming.Small mercies, indeed.
The only kind a Son ever got.
* * *
The grey stone bulk of the Islington frontier temple was easily reached if they paralleled the freeway, and they were back too early for a finished patrol.Which meant lean iron-haired Ignatius met them in the great hall, hands clasped behind his back as he paused on the main staircase, right on the landing where the two separate flights met like a pair of stately, dusty, red-carpeted rivers.A bust of Pallas Athena glowed, staring over his head with the set look of alirailistening to the Flame.
“Father.”Erik halted, snapped to attention—or at least, as well as he could with an unconscious woman over his shoulder.Jake gave a crisp salute, no doubt his own little joke.“We found alirai.”
Ignatius did not move for several moments.Beneath the dusty black of his preferred cassock lingered body armor and one or two little surprises; the lone Father of a satellite temple often stayed at home ready for a call from higher up, but that did not mean he was unready.
Ever.
“Yep, just happened across her in an alley,” Jake added.“What are the chances, huh?Erik knocked her right out of hershoes.”
“She was in the way,” Erik muttered, and wished he could elbow his Younger.
Father didn’t like chatter.
Ignatius’s pale eyes—very similar to Jake’s, though all three of them were orphans—narrowed slightly.“And is she sealed?”he inquired, in his driest, most passionless tone.
That took the wind out of Jake, but probably not for long.“Nosir,” he said.“Erik said to bring her home.”
If there was a punishment involved in that particular judgment call, Erik wouldn’t have wanted his Younger to suffer it anyway.Still, it rankled a bit.“No internal injuries, sir, but she came across a shadowbeast.Looked like a leaper; it had a pelt and non-venomous claws but its bite was otherwise.It stood its ground.”
“Ah.”Ignatius nodded.“Very good, then.”He descended the rest of the stairs, soundless despite heavy boots.“And you are certain she is of the Dreamers?”
“Yessir.”Come on over and take a look, was what Erik wanted to say, but that was a little past the line of obedience and good sense.Jake could probably say it, but then again, a Younger could say anything.
It was the perk of his position.Probably the only one, just like making the call when they were on their thankless grinding patrols was Erik’s.
Ignatius halted only once, glancing quizzically at Erik, who realized what he wanted.
