Max lay on his back on the boat deck, watching as the shadows of the Void undulated like smoke against the vermilion glow of the forcefield. Those shadows were so thick, he couldn’t see the moon or a single star.

Aspen said, “Should one of us go find them and make sure they’re okay?”

“We don’t even know where they went,” Dominic pointed out. “And their auras are hidden, right?”

“Malakai’s wearing a talisman, but Travis isn’t,” Jewels replied.

“Try tracking them if you want,” Max chimed in. “But depending on where they went, you might not see them.”

A moment passed before Jewels sighed and said, “I’m trying anyway. It’s either that or we split up and some of us go looking for them.”

“I don’t think we should split up,” Blue said around clacking teeth.

“Neither do I,” Dominic agreed. “And I also don’t think you should be the one who tracks them, Jewels.”

“I’m already sick, Dom,” she said gravely. “Can’t get any worse.”

“I’d feel better if you’d let me do it.”

She sighed and prompted him with a wave of a hand. “Have at her, then.”

It was difficult to remotely track someone without the aid of a street drug, but when the distance to your target was short, like it was from this boat to the Black Market, it was doable.

Everyone kept quiet as Dominic shut his eyes and focused.

A moment later, the Angel said, “Wherever they went, it’s spell-protected.”

Jewels, looking defeated and tired, rubbed her eyes. “Great.”

The boat began to shake.

Not just the boat, Max realized. The city was shaking.

He jolted to a sitting position as the rumbling grew.

The portal spread, opening wide like a mouth. More shadows poured out, suffocating the streets several blocks away. People screamed. Max watched in horror as streetlights popped like balloons, the last of the spells on the buildings guttering out.

He thanked the gods when the shaking stopped. When the lights on this street regained a steady glow, the spells on the buildings flickering back to life.

His chest deflated with a relieved sigh.Close one.

But his relief was short lived.

Because those were winged demons dive bombing out of the mushroomed cloud of shadow. And they were heading this way.

It was sodark in here, Malakai couldn’t see shit as the Harpy slammed him against a wall with bruising force.

A talon clamped over his throat. He tried to push the creature off, but it would not let go. Itsstrength?—

He couldn’t breathe.

Claws pierced the flesh between his neck and shoulder.

He barked a profanity.

The lights buzzed back on and started flashing.

He kicked the Harpy in the stomach.

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