Portia tilted her head at the men. "These mortals need to get stoned." She waved her hand, and a cement chunk from the floor went hurtling at one of them. Carrow covered Ruby's eyes just as it connected with the force of a rocket. The man's head exploded like a watermelon.

Ember said, "Portia, stop showing off! We have business to attend to." She turned to Carrow. "First off, witch, you're going to pay for striking me."

"If you hurt her," Ruby said with her eyes shimmering, "I'll hurt you worse." Carrow jerked Ruby back behind her.

Why was Ember hesitating? She could burn them all to ashes.

"Leave them," Portia said. "The skirmishes are moving outside, and I'm not attending without my mask and claws. We search for them now."

Ember shot Carrow a look of promised pain, then snapped her fingers at Lanthe. "Come."

When Lanthe remained at Carrow's side, Portia glared over her shoulder. "Melanthe, you traitor. May you rot in heaven." She gazed down the corridor. "With your angel. He'll be coming for you."

Once they'd disappeared, Lanthe said, "There went any power we might have hidden behind. And they're right. Thronos will come after me. As will your, er, spouse, once he recovers enough."

Ruby's eyes darted. "I'm scared, Crow."

Carrow lifted the girl back up in her arms. "I know, but I'm not going to let anything happen to you." When Ruby sniffled, Carrow held her gaze. "Look at me. I will get you out of here-I swear it."

Easier said...

Pandemonium reigned in the ward. Ember's flames burned everywhere as she released her trapped Pravus allies. Male immortals carted off flailing females.

Mere feet away, Uilleam the Lykae attacked four of the guards. Though he still wore his torque and couldn't fully turn werewolf, he easily ended the four, biting free one's throat while slashing the others'.

Volos, the leader of the centaurs, trampled anyone in his path, leaving behind pulped corpses. Succubae dragged down mortal guards, raping them in a frenzy. Carrow kept a hand over Ruby's eyes, but their moans rang out as they fed for the first time in weeks.

Lanthe said, "You know, as soon as we step out of this cell, we're in the s.h.i.t."

"If we can get your torque off, could you do another portal?"

Lanthe had told her she needed to recharge every time she created one. Her expression lit up. "We could walk right out of this place."

"Then we've got to find Fegley." And his thumb. "I think I know where he might be." When the warden had carried Ruby in all those nights ago, he'd entered from a side chamber attached to Chase's office. He could be hidden there now.

"You ready?" Carrow asked.

Lanthe nodded, and they eased out into the maelstrom.

"I told you we'd escape soon," Lothaire grated.

When the building began to shift, Malkom somehow made it to a sitting position, his body in agony. Chase had been right; Malkom had learned much about pain. But he'd endured Chase's tortures, laughing up at him with b.l.o.o.d.y fangs.

"One way or another, this ends tonight," the vampire said. Whatever being had invaded this place was after the Enemy of Old. In turn, the vampire was pacing, ready for battle-and taunting the being. "I am ready to have done, Dorada! Face me, crone!" "I am ready to have done, Dorada! Face me, crone!"

Malkom staggered to his feet as the ground quaked beneath him. The metal walls began to warp. The gla.s.s of his cell couldn't take much more of this pressure. Escape is nigh. Escape is nigh. He was already envisioning all the ways he'd punish the witch-- He was already envisioning all the ways he'd punish the witch-- His collar abruptly dropped to the ground.

He gazed up. A female of great power was pa.s.sing his cell. She looked like a walking corpse, surrounded by a pack of Wendigos. She's rid me of the collar? She's rid me of the collar?

Without warning, another female, a dark-haired sorceress, appeared outside his cell, raising her flaming palms at him. What the h.e.l.l- She shot fire at the gla.s.s, shattering it to free him. Before she disappeared with a speed approaching his own, she said, "Go find your wife, demon."

"I-will."

Finally, Malkom would have his revenge on Carrow Graie. One foot in front of the other, half-crazed from his torture, he limped outside.

Chaos. The heat from the fires singed his skin. The groan of twisting metal rang in his ears.

The moaning succubae mating with abandon and the b.l.o.o.d.y clashes only increased Malkom's madness.

At the sound of a deep bellow, he swung his head back toward the vampire's cell. Directly outside, that dead female stood, commanding her Wendigos to launch themselves at Lothaire. Her grisly face was creased into a smile.

The Enemy of Old was somehow defending himself, tossing the rabid creatures out of his cell again and again. But Lothaire fought a losing battle. "Slaine?" he bit out. "A hand here."

The female swung her head at Malkom, her sole eye riveted to his face. "RIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG?" "RIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG?"

Malkom shook his head slowly, then turned toward the witch's cell, calling over his shoulder, "Where's your allegiance now, vampire?"

Chapter31

"You wanna tell me about Thronos?" Carrow murmured as she carried Ruby and led Lanthe toward Chase's office. "Since we're all on the lam from him?"

"He's broken because of me," Lanthe said quietly. "I 'persuaded' him to dive from a great height. And not to use his wings."

Beauty. "The guys-in fact, everyone here-they do love us, huh?" "The guys-in fact, everyone here-they do love us, huh?"

Lanthe nodded. "I'm up for Congeniality."

As they approached the end of their corridor, more Wendigos crept through the intersecting hall. Ravenous for blood, bone, and flesh. Their red eyes gleamed in the semi-dark, their wiry bodies hunched, their gaits uneven.

Lanthe and Carrow pressed themselves against the wall, Carrow tucking Ruby's face against her shoulder.

As the creatures scented the air, Carrow's heart raced. We can't outrun them. We can't outrun them. A second pa.s.sed ... then another ... One took a step in their direction-- A second pa.s.sed ... then another ... One took a step in their direction-- Screams carried from another corridor, and the Wendigos loped off toward the sound.

Too close. And they wouldn't be so lucky next time. On that thought, Carrow sped in the opposite direction down the next ward, the one filled with offices and labs. The butchery here was even worse than in their own. Dead humans lay everywhere.

The three stole through a gauntlet of fights, s.e.x, and ... feeding feeding. Rocks still rose, buckling the floor. The entire area was unstable.

At last, they reached the office unscathed. The door had been broken open and now hung askew on its hinges. Ignoring her disquiet, Carrow cautiously eased inside. Empty Empty.

Through the window, she saw another turbulent night much like the one Chase had watched there two weeks earlier.

Across the office, the panel door was already halfway open. They slipped inside.

The area looked like a storage room with stacked crates and metal shelving lining the walls. The ceiling had begun caving, with some rafters collapsed, their ends stabbing the floor. Immediately, they heard a man's weeping coming from the back.

They descended a small flight of stairs, then followed the sound to find Fegley trapped, his nearly severed right arm caught beneath one of those colossal rafters. A machine gun lay mere inches beyond his other hand's reach.

"So close, yet so far away." I couldn't have tortured him better myself. I couldn't have tortured him better myself. Well, she Well, she could could. But this would do. She toed the muzzle with her boot. "Aw, it doesn't seem to want to come to Daddy, to come to Daddy," Carrow said, repeating his line. When she kicked the gun away, he cried harder.

From behind them, Lanthe breathed, "Look at this place. These are all our effects."

They were surrounded by the weapons and personal belongings of the prisoners-Invidia whips and antler headdresses, the leather saddlebags of the centaurs, weapons of all kinds.

Though many of the shelves were in disarray, as if someone-or something-had already ransacked the goods, Lanthe was able to find her own things. "My gloves! My beautiful mask." She hastily donned her claw-tipped gloves and cobalt-blue mask.

When smoke began to waft in from gaps in the damaged ceiling, Carrow said, "The fires are getting closer." She could smell the sickening scent of burning flesh. "Let's hurry."

Lanthe hastened over to Fegley. She knelt to yank on his trapped hand, while dodging pitiful slaps from his other. "Even if we bend down, his thumb won't reach our collars, and his left one won't work."

"Heh. That so?" Carrow asked. "If we can't go to the thumb, then the thumb will come to us." She began searching for a blade. "h.e.l.l, make it his hand."

Fegley strained his body. "No, don't!"

"Hey, you invited us to the party, mortal," Lanthe said, catching the knife Carrow tossed to her. "Looks like you tussled with the wrong creatures. You had to know you couldn't contain us."

"W-we have for centuries. This is Chase's fault! The ring-he wasn't supposed to t-touch it!"

Carrow frowned. "La Dorada's ring?"

Fegley's eyes looked blank, as if he were confused about where he was. "If it hadn't been touched ... He's d-doomed us all."

"You are are doomed, human," Lanthe said in a contemplative tone. "We're merely going to slice off your hand, but those Wendigos out there will crack open your leg bones and suck out the marrow while you watch." When Lanthe made a Dr. Lecter sucking sound, Fegley whimpered. doomed, human," Lanthe said in a contemplative tone. "We're merely going to slice off your hand, but those Wendigos out there will crack open your leg bones and suck out the marrow while you watch." When Lanthe made a Dr. Lecter sucking sound, Fegley whimpered.

Carrow took that as her cue to get Ruby away, saying over her shoulder, "Make it good, Lanthe." Since I can't. Since I can't.

Lanthe nodded, knowing what Carrow was giving up.

Ruby said, "We're leaving? I wanna see him get cut up."

Oh, boy. "I do too, honey! But we have to be lookouts." As Carrow wended her way out of the room, she could hear Lanthe saying, "The Libitinae will make you slice open and empty out your own t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es. And if the Invidia find you? You'll live long enough to see one of them wearing your skin. ..."

Just as Carrow reached the office's outer door, Fegley began screaming.

Carrow peeked out. At the far end of the corridor, she caught a glimpse of Malkom, Malkom, limping through the bloodbath, looking mindless. Though his body had been battered, he was facing off with any beings in his way. limping through the bloodbath, looking mindless. Though his body had been battered, he was facing off with any beings in his way.

He reminded her of the night she'd first seen him, when he'd attacked all those demons. But now she could witness him dealing that carnage.

That night he'd hurt her unintentionally. Now he wanted wanted to. to.

Wait ... Malkom's collar was gone? She stumbled back into the room, sinking against the wall. Ah, G.o.ds. Ah, G.o.ds. Empowered evil? Empowered evil?

No. She refused to believe he was evil. Still, she realized any farfetched hope of communicating with him this night had vanished.

Had she given up on him? Of course not. But for right now, she had to focus on getting Ruby out of a collapsing building and a war zone.

"Witch, I need some help with this zipper," Lanthe called.

Carrow jogged back to her. "We have to hurry."

The sorceress was awkwardly pressing the man's gory hand to the back of her collar. "I can't get his thumb to press flat."

Fegley remained conscious, watching all with a stupefied expression.

Carrow set Ruby down and motioned for the hand.

Lanthe tossed it. A blur of glinting metal appeared between her and Carrow.

"Ah-ah, not so fast!" Ember said triumphantly, holding up the hand she'd just nabbed.

"Where the h.e.l.l did you come from?" Carrow snapped. The sorceress had been quick before before her torque had come off. Now her speed was mind-boggling. her torque had come off. Now her speed was mind-boggling.

"I'm fast as flames, witch. And I'll be keeping this."

Portia traipsed beside her, donning her own mask and gauntlets. "We like the odds, with all of you powerless. Ember, do immolate the warden."

Ember aimed a burning palm at Fegley.

Carrow covered Ruby's eyes just as the man's went wide. He screamed as the sorceress burned him to cinders.

"Remember what we told you, Ruby." With a last seeking look at the girl, they disappeared.

"What did they tell you?" Carrow demanded, yanking her away from the smoking pile to the other side of the room.

"That I can be like them." She rubbed her eyes against the ash. "I only have to kill a sorceress to become one."

"You're not killing anybody!" Carrow said irritably. "First of all, you're too young. And second, no one's paid paid you to do a hit. We'll talk about this when we get home." She just stopped herself from saying "young lady." you to do a hit. We'll talk about this when we get home." She just stopped herself from saying "young lady."

"There goes our thumb plan." Lanthe muttered a curse. "Looks like we're fighting our way out of here." She rooted through a container of weapons, digging out a sword. "Good thing I'm handy with one of these."

"I'm not too shabby myself." Being friends with a legendary swordswoman like Regin had its benefits. Glancing around for a good weapon of her own, Carrow snagged a short sword and sheath, strapping the latter around her waist. Then she stilled. "Wait, Lanthe. Look at the smoke along that back wall. It's getting blown away."

"You think it's another chamber?"

"Could be." They hurried over, shoving away a shelf to reveal another panel. Carrow worked the tip of her sword along its border, levering it open a crack. Lanthe hooked the edge with her metal claws, and together, they heaved it open.

A gust of fresh wet air rushed over their faces, blowing their hair. A tunnel sloped downward before them.

"It's got to be an escape route," Lanthe said. "Probably goes all the way to the sh.o.r.e."