Archon(25)

“It doesn’t change the fact that you need me, and that your petty snacks are only going to make this harder for everyone involved.” Kim grasped one of the prayer wards in his pocket, caressing the paper. He’d use it this time if she pushed him hard enough. “The priests,” he said, unable to hold back his triumph, “are on to you, Troy.”

She shook Fury away, snapping at him more than speaking. “On to me? Let them try and rid this city of my presence. I’ll gut them myself—”

“Although they still suspect the demon over you. She’s keeping a low profile, but it’s only a matter of time until they exorcise you by mistake, maybe through her instigation. It would be wise to stick to rats for now.”

“I see a rat I’d like to stick,” she spat back at him.

Kim noted how her ears folded back against her skull and gripped the paper more tightly. Fury continued to listen to their exchange, tugging on sinews near her toes. “Angela is different, striking. But that doesn’t mean she’s the one we’re looking for.”

“Oh? And how many times have I heard that?” Troy glanced at Fury, looking annoyed at the continuing loss of her meal. Her teeth bared in a new, but still angry, smile. Blood had stained them to a dull shade of pink. “Sometimes, I think you’re toying with me, Sariel—”

It was never a good sign when she used his Jinn-given name.

“—that all of your searching for the Archon and determining that this one isn’t suitable, and that one isn’t right, is all a ploy to keep my teeth out of your heart.” She shifted slightly, the muscles in her wrists bunching together. “That makes me question your usefulness, you see. How many years have you spent, mating with one female after another to find what we’re looking for? And meanwhile, the seconds of your life pass away, always moving you closer to my jaws.” Troy spread her wings, stretching their tips into the darkness. Bats fluttered out of the tower, escaping into the evening fog. “You can only hold off the inevitable for so long. So do us both a kindness and make up your mind. This dimension is too unstable for us to wait on your instincts, however dull they might be.”

Thunder cracked overhead, so close to the Bell Tower that Kim’s ears hurt. Lightning blinded him, and Troy must have smelled the electricity in the air, had been hoping for the distraction, because Kim was startled for a single second. And that was all it took.

She pounced at him, all violence and the intention to hurt.

Fury flapped out of the way, cawing in alarm.

Kim threw the prayer ward into a maelstrom of feathers. “Abnocto,” he whispered, his voice shaking with echoes of his own fear. The Latin hurt Troy even more than the paper. She snarled in frustration but landed on all fours, her eyes glowing from a nook near the rear of the chamber. How could any creature move so fast? Bones crunched beneath her hands and feet as she wandered nearer to him again. “You bitch,” he said to her, brushing at the cut on his cheek.

It was shallow, but the blood still wet his fingers.

“The Tongue of Souls.” She grinned, excited by their little battle. “But what will you do when your mouth is finally sealed shut? I’d venture a guess . . .”

She crept out into the open again, seemingly unaware that her posture revealed the Grail.

Lucifel’s fabled Grail. It was an emerald that looked exactly like the legends said—a great eye with a miniature abyss for a pupil—but of all places it swung from Troy’s neck on a crudely hewn chain, perpetually teasing Kim with its mysteries. Usually, she kept the treasure hidden beneath her rags, but their skirmish had temporarily forced it out of hiding. And much like Troy, it gave off an aura of watchfulness that filled him with horror. The sight of its beauty was as nightmarish as it was desirable. Only the Jinn could protect such a gem without going mad.

Would Stephanie react the same way, recoiling with a fractured mind?

Or would she prove herself to be Raziel’s worthy vessel and clutch this relic of his to her heart? Kim wanted to try one last test before he took the chance. Angela seemed too softhearted underneath all her recklessness to be the Archon, but her paintings spoke of memories more angelic than she realized. It never hurt to test a theory.

“Like what you see?” Troy wasn’t smiling anymore.

“Before I go,” Kim said, fighting back the urge to lunge and throttle her, “give me Telissa’s arm back. I want her ring.”

Fury croaked from a gutter below them, protesting. But Troy reached up into the mess of her hair, untying a knot that held a glistening Academy ring amid specks of teeth and bones. Trophies from her older kills. This gift was her way of declaring a shaky truce. “The ring,” she said, “but not the arm. I’m still hungry tonight.”