said, tugging him after her. “I think he ducked in there.”
“Elyse—”
“Come,” she insisted.
He gave in and jogged with her to the shop. What she saw through the large front window astonished her. The sweet shop’s dozen or so customers were stone. White marble figures occupied the indoor tables’ chairs, little cups of coffee frozen halfway to their mouths, little plates of Turkish delight still set in front of them. She supposed the djinn had wanted one last treat before Armageddon descended. She spied one last statue behind the display counter, standing beside an old fashioned cash register.
“No,” she said, deeply disappointed at losing her quarry.
The statue behind the counter blinked.
“That’s him!” she exclaimed excitedly. “He’s disguising himself with magic!”
Arcadius didn’t get a chance to respond. The front window with the swirly Sweet Delights lettering shattered without warning. The hundred knife-like shards didn’t drop. They floated into the air instead, every pointy tip separating and turning until it was aimed at her.
“Shit,” Elyse breathed, frozen like stone herself.
Arcadius had drawn his scimitar. She guessed it wasn’t good for throwing, because he flung up his other hand, palm out. “In God’s name, I command you to fall harmless.”
Elyse had forgotten he could do magic. Cade could too, though not as much as Joseph. The air around them trembled as if intimidated by Arcadius’s authority. At least half the shards fell to the sidewalk and broke.
The other half jerked like they were conscious and sped toward her.
What happened next happened lightning quick. The glass was only feet away. Arcadius grabbed her wrist, taking such control of her body that she had no say in her own movements. Her arm wrenched in its socket as he yanked her behind him and turned his front toward her. Then he tackled her and dropped them both. Her heels stayed on the pavement, her upper half smacking the street hard enough to knock the breath out of her. The shards of glass went thunk-thunk-thunk as they struck her protector’s back and went in. Arcadius gasped but didn’t let go of her.
Then everything was quiet.
Her heart pounded crazily. His did too, his whole body vibrating with the force of its contractions. He tried to get up and groaned.
“Don’t move,” she said, in case this caused the glass to do more damage. No one was attacking them right that second, so it seemed better not to run. She sucked in something near a whole breath.
“Guards,” she called as loudly as she could. “We need help!”
They were there before she finished shouting, having jumped on the carpet and flown after them. Trapped beneath Arcadius’s bulk, she heard four sets of boots leap out.
“You two,” one guard barked. “Guard them. We’ll check the area.”
“Someone was in the sweet shop,” Elyse said shakily. “Be careful of his magic.”
“Are you all right, miss?” a soldier asked.
“Yes. Only Arcadius was hit.”
Arcadius made pain noises as a guard checked him. The other two guards returned. “We didn’t find the attacker, and I don’t think we should search longer. We need to get the commander out of here for treatment.”
“Get the glass . . . out,” Arcadius rasped. “It isn’t safe to move me until you do.”
“Sir, are you sure?”
“Enchant it out,” Arcadius ordered.
They didn’t question him again. The senior guard led the others in a group prayer, which they repeated quite a number of times until all the glass was gone. Probably it didn’t take more than two minutes. It simply felt to Elyse like it lasted forever.
Arcadius sighed when the final shard backed out of him. He couldn’t stand. He could hardly even move. Amazingly, the hand that gripped his scimitar hadn’t let go of it.
“Help me lift him and load him in,” the lead guard said to the others.
The removal of his weight allowed Elyse to breathe normally again.
“Watch your
“Elyse—”
“Come,” she insisted.
He gave in and jogged with her to the shop. What she saw through the large front window astonished her. The sweet shop’s dozen or so customers were stone. White marble figures occupied the indoor tables’ chairs, little cups of coffee frozen halfway to their mouths, little plates of Turkish delight still set in front of them. She supposed the djinn had wanted one last treat before Armageddon descended. She spied one last statue behind the display counter, standing beside an old fashioned cash register.
“No,” she said, deeply disappointed at losing her quarry.
The statue behind the counter blinked.
“That’s him!” she exclaimed excitedly. “He’s disguising himself with magic!”
Arcadius didn’t get a chance to respond. The front window with the swirly Sweet Delights lettering shattered without warning. The hundred knife-like shards didn’t drop. They floated into the air instead, every pointy tip separating and turning until it was aimed at her.
“Shit,” Elyse breathed, frozen like stone herself.
Arcadius had drawn his scimitar. She guessed it wasn’t good for throwing, because he flung up his other hand, palm out. “In God’s name, I command you to fall harmless.”
Elyse had forgotten he could do magic. Cade could too, though not as much as Joseph. The air around them trembled as if intimidated by Arcadius’s authority. At least half the shards fell to the sidewalk and broke.
The other half jerked like they were conscious and sped toward her.
What happened next happened lightning quick. The glass was only feet away. Arcadius grabbed her wrist, taking such control of her body that she had no say in her own movements. Her arm wrenched in its socket as he yanked her behind him and turned his front toward her. Then he tackled her and dropped them both. Her heels stayed on the pavement, her upper half smacking the street hard enough to knock the breath out of her. The shards of glass went thunk-thunk-thunk as they struck her protector’s back and went in. Arcadius gasped but didn’t let go of her.
Then everything was quiet.
Her heart pounded crazily. His did too, his whole body vibrating with the force of its contractions. He tried to get up and groaned.
“Don’t move,” she said, in case this caused the glass to do more damage. No one was attacking them right that second, so it seemed better not to run. She sucked in something near a whole breath.
“Guards,” she called as loudly as she could. “We need help!”
They were there before she finished shouting, having jumped on the carpet and flown after them. Trapped beneath Arcadius’s bulk, she heard four sets of boots leap out.
“You two,” one guard barked. “Guard them. We’ll check the area.”
“Someone was in the sweet shop,” Elyse said shakily. “Be careful of his magic.”
“Are you all right, miss?” a soldier asked.
“Yes. Only Arcadius was hit.”
Arcadius made pain noises as a guard checked him. The other two guards returned. “We didn’t find the attacker, and I don’t think we should search longer. We need to get the commander out of here for treatment.”
“Get the glass . . . out,” Arcadius rasped. “It isn’t safe to move me until you do.”
“Sir, are you sure?”
“Enchant it out,” Arcadius ordered.
They didn’t question him again. The senior guard led the others in a group prayer, which they repeated quite a number of times until all the glass was gone. Probably it didn’t take more than two minutes. It simply felt to Elyse like it lasted forever.
Arcadius sighed when the final shard backed out of him. He couldn’t stand. He could hardly even move. Amazingly, the hand that gripped his scimitar hadn’t let go of it.
“Help me lift him and load him in,” the lead guard said to the others.
The removal of his weight allowed Elyse to breathe normally again.
“Watch your
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