Page 40

I’d been stuck in the same uncomfortable squat position for over an hour. That wasn’t the most painful thing that I’d been through since joining the Legion of Angels, but it wasn’t the most pleasant one either.

“How much longer?” I asked.

“Six minutes and twenty-eight seconds,” Nero told me, and he didn’t even have to glance at his watch to do it. He was like a living, breathing metronome.

“What, no milliseconds?” I teased.

“And eleven milliseconds.” His eyes dared me to challenge him again.

Damiel spoke before I could, “Get ready to move. We need to run for the wall the moment the guards initiate the shift change. If we miss this window, the next one doesn’t come around for another six hours.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be ready. There’s no way I’m spending another six hours stuck like this,” I said, shifting my weight just enough to give my tight, sore muscles a break.

I narrowly avoided tripping over Nero’s foot. This tiny tree wasn’t nearly large enough to cover him and me and his parents, but we were making it work. Mostly. We didn’t have much of a choice. That tree canopy was all that was protecting us from the heavy rain—and Cadence’s spell was all that was keeping us invisible to the sentries’ senses. I’d explained everything I knew about Zane’s new spell, but she was the only one who’d managed to pull it off in time for this mission.

“We need to rethink our strategy,” Nero told Damiel.

“Scared?” Damiel cracked a smile.

“No,” Nero said flatly. “The rainfall intensity has increased substantially since we decided in favor of climbing the fortress wall. The stones will be slippery. That will slow us down.”

“Then climb faster.”

Nero’s lips pressed together. “You have not changed in two hundred years, old man. You’re just as stubborn as ever.”

“Where do you think you get it from?” Cadence chuckled.

“We can’t fly over the wall,” Damiel said. “Zarion’s got his fortress protected by an anti-magic field. We’ve already been over this, Nero.”

“I’m with Nero,” I chimed in, stomping my foot to loosen the buildup of mud around me.

Damiel snorted softly. “Of course you are.”

“No, seriously. We need a new plan. This one sucks. I do not want to tumble off a hundred-foot wall. Especially if my magic is off.”

“I disagree,” Cadence said, staring out across the muddy field that stood between us and the forest. The ground was soggy and smelled strongly of partially-decayed pine needles. “I’d say that wall looks closer to two hundred feet tall.”

I gave her a small smile. “Thanks.”

She shrugged.

“We do not need a new plan,” Damiel told me. “We need to get ready, so we can execute this one.” He pulled a canister out of his backpack and handed it to me. “Here, this will help.”

I read the label. “Water repellent?” My gaze slid from the can, up to him.

“Spray it on your shoes for better grip.”

I looked at Nero. “Is he serious?”

“Yes,” he told me.

I frowned at the canister in my hand, muttering, “There isn’t nearly enough of this stuff to make a difference. Maybe if we could cover the whole wall with it…” I sprayed it all over my shoes anyway, then handed the bottle to Nero.

After he sprayed his shoes, he passed the canister to Cadence. “Two minutes,” Nero announced, rolling back his shoulders, getting ready to move. He’d clearly surrendered himself to his fate.

I just hoped that fate didn’t involve falling to our deaths, our decomposing bodies left to fertilize Zarion’s garden.

“And you’re absolutely sure that we can’t knock out Zarion’s defenses and just teleport inside?” I had to ask.