She fought the darker voice that hid in the corner of her soul. The one that said he was being nice to her because he needed her to find Aurora—whom he wanted to kill despite what it would do to Esha—and because he was totally lost in this city. That when it was all over, they’d be on opposite sides of the fence again. He could have anyone. He didn’t need an outcast like her. Getting used to his cooking, his kindness, his kisses would only make her life more barren once it was all over.
No. She wouldn’t sabotage this with dark thoughts and insecurity. She’d take him at his word, the way she wanted him to take her at hers.
But she needed to get out of here now. Just to remind herself that she was fine alone. “Thanks for dinner. I should get going.”
“Doona go yet.”
“No, really, I should get out of here. But thanks.” She used a quick burst of magic—not much, of course—to clean her bowl and the Chairman’s, then jetted for the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him rising and threw out a frantic little wave and dashed into the hall like a crazy person, a disgruntled Chairman behind her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Ready?” Warren asked Esha.
They stood in the foyer, the first early rays of sunlight illuminating the dim space. He hadn’t seen her since last night, though he’d heard her rustling around in the kitchen for breakfast. By the time he’d gotten down there, she’d slipped back up to her room.
“Yes. I think we should be able to see the shadows well enough if they try anything tricky.”
“Brilliant.” He opened the foyer door and yanked up the zipper of his jacket. It was cold, but the lack of snow within the city meant that they didn’t need the damn snowsuits or boots, thank gods.
Esha joined him on the doorstep. “Okay, I think we should head east. I feel the energy of four important places in this city, and I think the temple will be one of them.”
He nodded and followed her out the door and up the winding street, where gray buildings rose high on either side. The disorientation that had hit him last night returned now that he was out of the house, so he stuck close to Esha. The morning was perfectly and eerily silent, with no birds to chirp or trees to rustle in the wind.
Within a hundred yards, he became aware that soul shadows lurked behind some of the glinting glass windows. Watching them. “Esha.”
“I see them. Just keep walking.” Her posture was stiff.
They turned left onto a wider street, one built of octagonal stone slabs that seemed to be a main thoroughfare through the city. Grand buildings lined the street, much wider than the houses on the residential street where they’d set up their base camp. The architectural styles varied, from whimsical to elegant to imposing, but all built of that same gray stone. It was the strangest city he’d ever seen.
Warren glanced behind him to get a feel for the expanse of the street and caught sight of a shadow dipping behind the corner of a building ten yards back. A chill pricked at h
is skin. It was the first he’d seen outside of a building.
“There’s a soul shadow behind us,” he said.
“I know. I don’t get a feeling of evil off it, though. Or good, for that matter.”
“Right.” They’d just have to stay sharp.
They walked a few hundred yards down the expansive street until they came to a great open space that looked like a town square.
“I think that’s it.” Esha pointed to a wide building that sat on the north side of the square. A great portico with four long steps led up to enormous front doors. There were very few windows, far fewer than any other building in the city.
“Do you know what it is?”
“No. Just that it pulls at me.”
“We’ll check it out, then.” He glanced back and saw the shadow advance with them. Following them.
They walked across the too-silent square as the sun finally rose over the tops of the buildings. Bright rays of light fell onto the stone street. The Chairman slowed as he reached the portico, his confident stride replaced with wariness. Esha slowed too.
“He’s got a better sense for danger than I do. Especially of the soul variety,” she said.
Warren nodded, no longer concerned that he was taking his cues from a cat. As soon as they stepped up onto the first of the four wide steps, soul shadows appeared on the portico.
“Keep going,” Esha said. “Act like they aren’t there.”
Warren put his hand on his sword anyway. Just because he didn’t like to fight didn’t mean he wouldn’t, and the shadows were creeping forward with every step they took. When they took the last step under the portico, the shadows surged forward, an unbroken mass of black smoke.