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Samkiel ran his thumb along his bottom lip and said, “I have a better idea, actually.”
“Care to explain?” I asked.
“I need you all to evacuate the city.”
Vincent jerked in surprise. “Why?”
“Safety precaution. I am going to piss her off.”
Twenty-Nine
Imogen
“Why do I have to come along?” I asked as we landed outside Silver City.
We crossed the street at a light jog, Samkiel’s gaze focused on the guild. “Because I need to test a theory.”
I groaned, preferring when Cameron or Xavier was the test dummy, not me. They volunteered half the time, both of them pure mischief. They enjoyed it.
“Leave when I give you the signal. Not a moment before, okay?”
“Okay. I hope this works. For all of our sake.”
“Me too.”
I’d expected flames, screaming, and burning buildings when we made it back to Silver City. But if there was one thing I’d learned, Dianna was anything but predictable.
The city was empty. Samkiel worried about the power she might unleash, but the entire city? I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. We hadn’t fought or seen anything that could wield that kind of force in so long. But even the thought of it made sweat form on my back. Despite the chill of winter, the long-sleeved shirt I wore stuck to me.
Vehicles sat abandoned on the road. The street lights flared on as we passed beneath them and then died. An unnatural stillness filled the air as if the world held its breath and waited. A small furry animal burst from the bushes and ran across the street. I jumped to the side, raising my sword.
Samkiel placed his hand on my blade, lowering it. “You feel it too?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
It was as if a dark power stalked us. I couldn’t determine the source, but I had felt it on the remains of Rashearim. It made my skin crawl. I had watched her emerge from the darkness, and her power had made me hesitate. I never hesitated. None of us did, we’d been trained since our creation to never fear, never falter. We were warriors that scared any beast or monster with our title alone, but we weren’t dealing with just any monster.
“What if—”
He shook his head, his tone pained. “Don’t say it. Please.”
My lips formed into a thin line, and I kept that one question to myself. What if we were too late? What if she was already too far gone? I knew Samkiel. He’d risk his life for others, he always had, but what if even with all his power, he could not reach her?
We stopped before the guild, and I lowered my blade to my side. The multilayered skyscraper glared back at us, the windows reflecting the bright rays of the sun before the overcast sky swallowed them whole.
“Imogen, do you remember what I taught you back on Dunn Moran?”
I nodded. “When we were fighting the spiked-tail Naga?”
“Yes. Large predators disrupt the environment. Animals that call a place home will flee for miles to avoid an apex predator. What do you hear now?”
I tipped my head to the side, glancing toward the trees that crowded the sidewalks and the alleyways dividing the buildings. My gaze fell back to him. “Nothing.”
“Exactly. The lack of animals is the first sign.”
“That’s why you knew at the cafe that it wasn’t Dianna.”
“Yes, but also, I know her.” His gaze clouded as if a memory ripped through him as he spoke. “She could never deceive me, no matter how hard she may try. I could spot her in a crowd of millions.”
