The Legend of Eli Monpress(359)

She bent her head down and pressed her lips into the fabric. In all her life, even the parts she couldn’t remember, she was sure she’d never tried what she was about to do, but at this point, she didn’t care.

I wouldn’t try it, the Master said sadly. It won’t work. Failures like you shouldn’t waste other people’s time on wild shots.

So what, she thought fiercely. It’s not like I have anything left to lose.

The voice laughed and said something back, but Nico didn’t hear it. All she could hear was the memory of Josef’s voice in her ears telling her that even if she failed, she could not stop trying. You were only a failure once you stopped trying.

Holding his voice in her mind, she took a deep breath, and, for the first time in her life, began to talk to the spirit of her coat not as a seed, but as a wizard.

Tesset stopped running, slamming his feet into the hard-packed dirt. Sparrow skidded to a stop a second later, turning just in time to see Tesset whip Nico off his shoulder and hold her out in front of him like an ill-behaved child.

“What are you doing?” he said. “You’ve been muttering for nearly a minute now.”

Nico just stared at him, her lips drawn tight.

“Powers, Tesset!” Sparrow said, bracing himself against Eli, who was now blue, but still kicking. “You stopped us for some muttering? Knock her out and let’s go.”

Sparrow reached to bash Nico across the back of her head, but his hand hit nothing but air. At that moment, Nico’s coat unraveled, and she dropped out of Tesset’s hands.

Tesset grabbed for her as she fell, but the threads of the coat wrapped around his arms, spoiling his aim. Nico landed on her feet and rolled away, coming up just out of reach with her arms out, ready to block whatever came next.

But nothing came. Tesset just stood there, watching her as he calmly tested the massive tangle of black thread that tied his arms together. He was alone in his calm, however. Beside him, Eli and Sparrow were staring at her like she’d grown another head.

“Powers, child,” Sparrow said. “What happened to your arm?”

Nico lowered her eyes, carefully avoiding Eli’s horrified stare. “None of your business. Give me the thief.”

Sparrow started to laugh. “Are you joking? If you’re going to run, then run. I’m sick of your trouble, but the thief stays. There is no way I’m leaving this bollixed-up pit empty-handed.”

Nico shifted her stance. Without her coat, she could feel the spirits around her, already awake and on the verge of panic, start to lose control. The voice in her head was silent, but she could feel him waiting, watching in anticipation. “Give Eli to me, or else,” she said.

“Or else what?” Sparrow rolled his eyes. “This is taking too long. Tesset, let’s go.”

Tesset looked at him. “You sure? Alric said to get her to safety.”

“Hang Alric!” Sparrow said, pulling Eli’s rope taut. “Since when are we League? There isn’t enough cash in the world to make me put up with this.”

As he spoke, Nico flexed her demon claw. She couldn’t take Tesset, but Sparrow was another story. She tried one last time. “Let him go.”

Sparrow sneered and started to turn away. Nico raised her claw with a snarl, but just as she launched herself forward, an enormous whistling scream cut through the air as something shot overhead. It exploded through the buildings, including the one right next to them, and landed with an enormous crash in the arena behind them.

For one long second, everything seemed to stop. Tesset’s mouth opened, shouting a warning that he never quite got out. Beside him, Sparrow was staring up as the enormous wall of the building above them, broken by whatever it was that had crashed through the town, broke free of its supports and began to fall forward. Even Eli had stopped struggling. He was also watching the wall as it fell toward them, his bound hands coming up to cover his head. And in that long, slow moment, Nico decided what she would do.

She spun in midair, turning the demon arm away from Sparrow. The creature inside her snarled in frustration, but Nico ignored it, focusing all of her attention on her other fist, her striking fist, just as Josef had taught her. Sparrow was wide open as Nico’s human fist slammed into his jaw, knocking him back. He stumbled in surprise, and his hands let go of the rope around Eli’s neck just as Nico caught the thief’s shoulder. The moment she had him, Nico changed directions, kicking off the ground and throwing herself toward the collapsing wall. She glanced up and found what she was looking for, a glass window. She stepped into position and forced Eli down, covering him with her body as the wall crashed around them.