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Chapter 52

Nora

Honora Holtzfall was not in the habit of running from her enemies.

But she wasn’t stupid enough to just wait for rescue either. In one quick movement, she vaulted over the bar, the buttons of her shirt scraping off and scattering among the ice on the other side.

A blast from one of the charms flew over the barrier and hit the mirror behind her, knocking a particularly good bottle of liquor from the top shelf, sending it shattering next to Nora as she worked a diamond ring off her finger and grabbed a fallen metal cocktail shaker.

She moved quickly. Her mind drew out the circuitry as her hand followed, as steadily as could be expected under the circumstances. She was aware that the shielding charm that Lotte was holding would overheat any second while she carved the circuitry into the metal.

“Nora,” Lotte called out. “It’s cracking.”

“Just a little bit longer,” Nora shouted back. She hadn’t handled a luster in she didn’t even know how long. If she had done it right, it would knock the magic out of anything within a mile radius.

And suddenly there was a cry. She saw Lotte drop the charm as it shattered into glowing metal pieces.

The shield dropped with it.

From the other side, a man in a wolf mask leveled a weapon at her head.

Nora looked him in the eye, then she twisted the cocktail shaker a fraction of an inch. Lining up the magical circuit she had carved into it.

The luster went off with a shock wave.

She heard the trigger of the weapon click.

The Grims’ weapons went dead.

At exactly the same second, the lights did too.

Plunging the Clandestine Court into darkness.