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“Do you know where we are now?”Mircea yelled at Pritkin.

“Yes!”

“Then let’s go!”

We scrambled back up with the ground still bucking like an angry horse and took off, the witches and fey right on our heels.I had no idea how Pritkin could see well enough to orient himself, map or not.The city was quickly turning into a giant debris field, and nothing looked familiar.

But he seemed to know where he was going, only it wasn’t to Dante’s.

A moment later, we burst through the door of a wrecked and burning souvenir shop, which must have sold ice cream once upon a time as well as tacky Vegas trinkets, because the empty tubs were still in place behind the dusty counter.As cover went, there wasn’t much here, with magical fire eating holes through the suspended ceiling.And trying to do the same to my head, until Pritkin and Mircea grabbed my arms and all but carried me into the back of the shop.

It was a little better here, with whatever was consuming the front not having gotten this far yet, but it wouldn’t be long.Smoke billowed in the doorway behind us, making it hard to breathe, and sparks were threatening to set alight the debris-strewn floor and stacks of wooden pallets blocking a large walk-in freezer.They held long-rotten vegetation for the sandwiches the shop had also sold, I guessed, catching sight of a diagram on the wall of how to assemble a BLT.

Put the avocado between the bacon and lettuce, to keep the hot side of the sandwich separate from the crisper toppings—

Cut it out!Bodil snarled, jerking me back to the present.

Enid was babbling something in another language and clinging to Æsubrand, while looking around like she couldn’t believe we’d made it this far.

“My shields are goddamned wrecked,” Topknot snarled.“What the hell is Jonas about?”

“Those were Forbidden spells,” Gray Curls added breathlessly.“They had to be!”

“I guess the gloves are off,” Butch Cut said, looking shaken.

“Where is that bastard Hansen?”Alphonse demanded.

I looked around, but I couldn’t see him anywhere.Of course, I couldn’t see much with a new wave of smoke hitting me in the face.“Hansen!”I gasped, but heard nothing back.

“He can’t even die, and heleft us?” Alphonse snarled.

Yeah, it looked that way.

Where are we?Mircea asked mentally, to be heard over another world-shaking explosion from somewhere nearby.

That’s what I’m trying to figure out, Pritkin said, staring around the room as if looking for something.Something I guessed he didn’t find, because the map was back a second later, still fritzing like mad, but he finally got it steady enough to point to a glowing yellow dot—us, I assumed.And, shit.

It’s only a few more blocks to Dante’s, Zara said weakly, and yeah.Even her mental voice didn’t sound convincing.

A few blocks?That was Æsubrand.We won’t make it a few feet!Enid’s shields are almost gone!

I’m sorry!I’m sorry!The shaken redhead said.I’ve never seen spells like those!

Few have, Pritkin said grimly.

What the devil is Jonas doing?Topknot demanded, still looking furious.

I asked them to pull everyone off Dante’s, I told her miserably.I probably should have specified by something other than knocking it down.

They’re trying to confuse the gods, Mircea said.And leave them no idea where to focus their attention.

Yeah, but while they’re doing that, they’re blowing us up, too!Alphonse snarled.And some of us don’t have shields!

We’ll protect you, Purple Hair promised.

You’ll try, sweetheart.But no way your magic lasts that long.Not in that!He gestured savagely at the door while looking at Pritkin.Willyours?

Pritkin didn’t answer, maybe because he was no longer listening to our little freak-out.Instead, he was staring from the map to the dented and schedule-covered walk-in freezer door.Somebody named Carlos had called in sick, and somebody else had been annoyed enough to scribblete jode Carlosunderneath his shift in green ink that had stood the test of time.