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“I’m sure there’s plenty you can do as a man,” I said to Duncan’s dejected head shake.

“Not right now, unfortunately.” He slumped against the wall but only for a second before he returned to searching cabinets and drawers. “There are answers in that room over there, Luna. I’m sure of it.”

I removed my bag and poked into it, hoping I’d packed something that might prove useful.

I had one of Bolin’s Orbs of Entanglement spheres.

Might I throw that in a spot that would cause most of the bugs to stick to it?

I lifted the sphere, on the verge of suggesting that, when I remembered the sample that Rue had given me the last time I’d ordered potions from her.

“Do you think a delightfully versatile blue-spider acid might go through that wall?” Those had been her descriptors when she’d given the vial to me. I fished through my belongings until I found it.

“I’ve never heard of that before, but the word acid sounds promising in this context.” Duncan walked over to consider the wall again. “Applying it to a vertical surface would be challenging. I don’t suppose it came with an applicator brush?”

“It’s not a tube of eye shadow.” I offered the vial to him in case he wanted to try it. “There have to be droppers or something in a laboratory though, right?”

Ticks at the door made me jump. Were those bugs knocking ?

“Don’t answer that.” Duncan jogged toward one of the drawers he’d investigated.

“You think? It’s not like it’s going to be Dominos.”

“Indeed.” Duncan pulled out a kit with glass droppers. “You’d have to tip quite profusely to entice a delivery driver up here, I believe.”

“ Very profusely.”

Duncan took the vial from me, carefully removed the lid, and walked to the wall. He started to slip the dropper into the vial but paused.

More ticks came from the door. Maybe the bugs weren’t knocking as much as trying to find a way in. Since they could use the elevator, I wouldn’t put it past them to figure out a door.

“Glass is impervious to most acids but not hydrofluoric acid,” Duncan said. “Do you know what all is in blue-spider liquid?”

“Besides blue spiders? I haven’t a clue. Just smear some on there, and let’s see if it does anything.”

Even if the stuff could eat through cement and metal, it was hard to imagine such a small amount of liquid being sufficient to make a hole big enough to crawl through. I assumed that was what Duncan had in mind. Still, the liquid in the vial was magical. Maybe it would surprise me.

“As my lady commands.” Duncan inclined his head toward me, then used the dropper to extract liquid and spread a line of it on the wall.

An eyeshadow brush would have worked better, assuming it didn’t disintegrate, but maybe Abrams kept himself to a minimal makeup regimen and didn’t store such things in his lab.

Duncan had made a circle using about half the liquid when he frowned down at the dropper. “Oh, hell.”

He showed it to me. The acid had eaten through the end of the tool.

I backed up.

“Hydrofluoric acid may be the main ingredient,” he said.

“I think magic is the main ingredient.” I wondered what impervious material the vial was made from.

“Either way, I’m doing my best not to touch the stuff with my finger or any other body parts.” Holding the dropper and vial at arm’s length, Duncan backed to the counter. He tossed the remains of the implement into a sink and delved into the drawer again.

“Yes,” I said. “I assume it can also eat through skin.”

“Even without magic, some acids can go right through tissues and decalcify bones. I…” He trailed off, his nose wrinkling.

Though the ventilation fan continued to run, sucking most noticeable odors out of the room, I did smell a faint acrid scent. And was that smoke drifting up from the wall?

The metal looked more like a panel rather than inches of solid steel. That was promising.

“It’s working.” I pointed at the smoke but worried about the intensified clinks and tinks coming from the door. It sounded like the bugs were trying to create their own hole to go through.

“Ah, delightful.”

“There will probably be insulation in the wall and another panel,” I warned.

“No problem.” Duncan held up a fresh dropper that he’d found. “I’ve got more acid.”

After carefully levering out the circular piece he’d made in the wall, he leaned in to rip out chunks of insulation. There was indeed an inner panel behind it.

I paced as he applied acid to it but halted when I noticed vapor wafting in through a crack under the door.

“Those bugs really want to knock us out.” I rubbed my still-numb fingertips together.

Duncan glanced that way. “The vapor might do more than that.”

“Comforting.”

“I’ll fling the rest of this acid at them if they force their way in.”

“I’m getting my money’s worth for Rue’s services.”

“How much did she charge for this?” Duncan held up the almost depleted vial.

“It was a free sample.”

“Oh? That’s always an excellent way to sell product.”

“No doubt she expects I want to order a five-gallon vat.”

“Do you have rules against making such concoctions in your apartment complex?” Duncan put the cap back on the vial and backed away from the wall. He’d finished applying the acid to the inner panel.

“It’s in the lease that you can’t grow psychedelic mushrooms or marijuana. Oddly, the mixing of toxic chemicals isn’t mentioned.”

“Might be time to make an amendment.” Duncan lifted his foot and slammed his heel into the panel.

The second piece he’d created indented a couple of inches, but he wobbled, almost losing his balance as he brought his leg down. I rushed forward to keep him from pitching sideways.

“I don’t need help,” he snapped with irritation. Or maybe indignation .

But he did. I gripped his arm to keep him steady—and on his feet.

His shoulders slumped. “I do need help. And I hate it.”

“I know. It’s hard being weak when you’ve always been powerful.”

“It’s hard being weak, period.”

“Some people have more experience with it and can compensate.”

“And those without experience just get cranky?” He smiled ruefully.

“I think so.” Gently, I pushed him to the side.

Trying not to look at the gaseous substance flowing under the door and into the laboratory, I took the second kick myself. The circle in the panel resisted flying free. Was there something blocking the wall? Maybe it needed a little more acid.

“At least the fan is sucking those vapors away.” Duncan pointed at the cloud flowing under the door and immediately wafting toward the vent.

After donning gloves, I took the vial and smeared the last of the acid onto the panel.

“Not enough left to fling at metal bugs.” I tossed the empty vial onto a countertop.

“Alas. You should have ordered the five-gallon vat.”

“I can only imagine what Rue would charge for that.”

Once more, I kicked the inner panel. It barely gave, the acid not having had time to fully work, but it did shift outward an inch.

A creak came from the door to the room, then the door fell open. I gaped. Had the bugs done that? The entire door hit the floor.

“They destroyed the hinges,” Duncan said as metal bugs flowed into the room, all with their orifices open, all spewing out the hazy vapor.

“Industrious bastards, aren’t they?” I kicked again.

The panel flew away and into the dark room beyond.

I scrambled through the hole, then reached back for Duncan. As soon as he came through after me, I patted around on the floor, found the section of panel, and did my best to plug up the hole.

In the dark, I had no idea what kind of room we entered, but I doubted it was another laboratory with a ventilation fan. If the vapor-spewing bugs made it in here, we would be screwed.