The Way of the Brother Gods by Stuart Jaffe

carefully. I won't let anything happen to Tommy. You've got my word."
    Malja looked over Tommy. He had a small cut on his forehead from banging around the air duct but appeared fine, otherwise — for a boy sharing his body with a powerful creature, sporting multiple eyes and undulating tentacles, and being locked in some kind of catatonia. I can't fail him, she thought. Then she closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She was about to go into battle. Worrying about things beyond her immediate control only served her enemies.
    "With so many Bluesmen spread throughout this entire building, I'll have to take them out one or two at a time. And it'll have to be done quietly so I don't alert the others until I've reduced them by at least half. The rest will get nervous or even panic. That'll make them hesitate when they face me, and that will give me the extra seconds to kill each one with ease."
    Fawbry paled. "Isn't there a more direct approach?"
    "You don't like my plan?"
    "It's just that it relies on stealth. And you've never been one for quiet, sneaking around. Every time I've ever tried to do that kind of thing with you, you just walk right up and start slashing."
    Malja tucked her long braided hair under her collar and opened the door. "I'll be fine."
    Fawbry nodded and pulled out his copy of The Book of Kryssta. He flipped through the pages, urgently searching.
    "You're going to pray before I go? You've never done that before."
    Looking up from the book with a chilled expression, Fawbry said, "You've never done something like this before."
     

Chapter 14
    Malja skirted down the edge of the sewer tunnel until she reached the opening in the ceiling that led to the air ducts. A few turns in the ducts and she had passed beyond the reach of the sewer's stench. Crawling in the tight space, she moved with careful precision to avoid making too much noise.
    Whenever she found a vent, she held still and peered through. Twice she came upon Bluesmen, but they walked in a full four-man unit. Though she didn't want to do so, if she had to, she could take on four enemies at once. But the attack would be very risky.
    Awkwardly slipping out of the duct without losing the element of surprise would be hard enough. But against four, it would be near impossible to engage them all at once. Somebody would be free from her attacks, free to run off and warn others. That was unacceptable.
    She would have to be patient.
    Further on, she saw another unit followed by two of the giant insects. Two more Bluesmen followed, each holding leashes tied around the insects. They didn't look any happier than the bugs.
    At length, she came upon a curved hall that was empty. She waited. She listened. Nobody came by and she never heard the echo of a voice or a footfall.
    Her instinct was to kick open the vent and drop to the floor, but as Fawbry had pointed out, this mission required stealth. Moving slowly, trying to be quiet, Malja eased the vent loose and pulled it inside the duct. She paused long enough to listen once more before slipping through the opening and onto the floor.
    The ceiling sloped sharply. Just above must be the Dish. A thick tube large enough to crawl through ran parallel to the floor along the inside of the curved hall. Every few seconds the tube pulsed.
    Malja placed her hand on the tube's surface. Warmth shot up her arm like putting on a shirt that had been in the sun all day. When she took her hand off, the comforting feeling left just as fast.
    "It shouldn't feel good, should it?" a male voice said from behind.
    Malja turned slowly but kept her hands at her side. The Bluesman held a gun on her — single shot handgun with a dented barrel and chipped wood on the grip. His dark skin hid his features in the shadows, but she could still make out his fine suit and a glint of the guitar on his back.
    "It's just a big mass of wires," he went on. "So why does it feel good to touch? Personally, I think it's because your friend, Cole Watts, keeps on