The City on the Edge

The walk to the Cage was probably the most stressful thing Ronnie had ever done. She couldn’t help but tense at every guard that marched past them or shuffled their rifle around. She usually had better hold of her nerves than this but there was a lot at stake this time. If they missed their window, Anya would be gone for good.

Ronnie and Lorna followed behind Malik who strode through the streets with a single-minded purpose. She supposed she should count the three of them lucky that they hadn’t drawn any attention yet with the way he pushed past anyone in his way. Lorna quietly mumbled apologies to them in hopes they wouldn’t shout or make a scene at the furious witch stomping through the market square. Especially one stomping around at night.

In the distance, just down the street, the Cage’s glass dome gleamed under moonlight just like it had in Ronnie’s memory. It was held up by large stone pillars veined with gold that seemed to glow even in the absence of sunlight.

Humans and their gold.

As they drew closer to the structure, she wondered if the Marble City looked like this. Sometimes, when she climbed to the top of the old watchtower that sat just before the Rust, she could see the golden tipped spires of Heritage, the massive mansion home of Premier Donovan King and his family. The concept still seemed so foreign to her, having such luxury for nothing more than being born in the right body.

“There it is,” Malik said, coming to a stop.

“And there they are.” Lorna pointed to a cluster of white coats gathered around the front half of the building. “How are we supposed to sneak around them?”

Ronnie trailed her gaze past the guards and to the side of the building. The architecture, fancy as it was from skilled supernatural hands, the humans weren’t going to construct their own buildings, had left plenty of footholds in the thick spiraling swirls that branched out decoratively on the structure’s sides. She wasn’t sure what they were supposed to represent, maybe tree branches, but they would certainly get the three of them to the top.

A guard broke away suddenly, stomping his feet quickly and shooing at something. It was demon, much like the one Ronnie had seen outside of Basso’s shop. It scuttled around on thin spindly legs and snapped its clawed hands, trying to pick whatever it could from the dirt. The guards clearly weren’t amused by it. Every time the demon drew close to them, they chased it away.

“Awful.” Lorna frowned. “Don’t they know that demons are hungry just like everyone else?”

“I’m pretty sure they don’t care,” Malik said mildly.

A thought came to Ronnie and she dug around in her pockets, smiling when she found what she was looking for. Malik noticed her grin and raised a dark brow at her. She held up a finger- watch this - and slunk away through the night shadows towards the building across from the Cage.

The little red demon was waiting there, huddled against the rough brick wall. It chirped aggressively when Ronnie came close and drew its claws close to its face. It watched her with rows of little black eyes that striped its face vertically. Ronnie knelt down and held out what she’d pulled from her pocket- a piece of dried jerky. Something she always kept on her to curb her hunger and temperament. She got cranky when she was hungry.

“Come on. You can have it.” She waved the jerky back and forth until demon slowly reached out with a claw and hesitantly clamped around the jerky. When Ronnie released it and the demon was certain it wasn’t a cruel trick, it was really being fed, it snatched the jerky and proceeded to gnaw on it. “It’s pretty good, huh?”

The demon chirped and squeaked around the meat in its mouth. Lorna and Malik came to stand behind her. “I need you to do something for me now,” Ronnie said as the demon watched her closely.

***

At first, the guards in front of the Cage didn’t realize that anything was wrong. A few of them stood huddled together against the night’s chill, talking and not really paying much attention to the street. A couple others stood at straight and aware on their post, but their attention wavered as they caught snippets of conversation, interjecting their piece. Ronnie kept an eye on their movements and their faces, waiting for the moment when the alarm would come. She didn’t have to wait long.

“Something’s there! By your feet!”

“It’s on me!”

The little red demon clung to one of the guard’s boots and scurried up his leg as quickly as it could before vanishing beneath the cover of his white coat. The guard danced around, patting frantically at his leg and waist while he pleaded for help from the others. They rushed to his side just as more little demons came scuttling toward them from across the street. There were only a dozen of them, but they made quick work of the guards, who probably hadn’t seen so many demons in one place in their entire lives, even out here in the Edge. Demons lived underground and went out of their way to try and stay out of sight.

Malik wasted no time in seizing the chance to dash across the street and around the side of the Cage. He pressed himself against the stone wall, glanced over at the panicking guards and waved Lorna and Ronnie over once he was sure they wouldn’t be seen. By the time they made it over to him, he was already scaling the side of the building. Every press of hand and foot against the sleek marble left a small divot still sizzling with residual yellow magic. It was just like big brother Malik to try and make things easier on the ones around him. Ronnie would have to be sure to thank him for the makeshift ladder when they had Anya safely tucked away somewhere.

“You go first,” Ronnie whispered, nudging Lorna to the wall.

The witch nodded and began climbing, taking hold of the spots left behind by Malik. Lorna was built lithe and lean and she made quick work of the wall. Ronnie climbed up after her, casting one more glance over her shoulder at the distracted guards before curling her fingers into the rough holds and hoisting herself up the wall. Malik waited for her at the top. He extended a hand and she grabbed it, allowing him to pull her up over the ledge.

“Thanks,” she said as Malik patted her shoulder.

Thankfully, the roof was much quieter than the street. The glass dome dominated the space, latticed by crossing beams of thick silver, lying in pattern. The glass panes almost looked like the gleaming petals of a glass flower, closed for the night. At the bottom of each pane was a window with no latch, which struck Ronnie as incredibly odd because she knew for certain that they opened.

Lorna was running her fingers over one of the beams thoughtfully, a frown twisting over her pink lips. “We might have a problem,” she whispered.

Malik shuffled over to her. “What is it?”

“Look.” Lorna ran the tips of her fingers over one the beams. Engraved in the metal were swirling symbols that Ronnie didn’t recognize.

Malik studied the metal. “This is strange. These are spells.”

Ronnie was paying half a mind to them, her attention focused on the back of the roof’s edge. Had something moved? “Spells?”

“Yes. Engraved spells, no less. They seal the windows closed at night and they open back up at the first morning light.”

Ronnie didn’t quite understand the different types of spells, she wasn’t a witch, but she trusted Malik to know his stuff. His mother had been a scholar, for herself mostly, but she’d acquired a large collection of knowledge that she’d passed onto her children when she’d died. Her journals were Malik’s most prized possessions.

“So, are we locked out?” Ronnie asked. “We can’t wait for morning.”

“We don’t have to,” Lorna said. “We just need a little light.” Malik nodded as she spoke.

Cold fingers of worry trailed up Ronnie’s spine as she understood what Lorna and Malik were planning. She trusted the witches to know how to fool the spell, but a flash of light would only draw attention to them. As quickly as the concern came, though, Ronnie chased it away. This was her family. They knew what they were doing. She had complete faith in them.

“Okay. Do what you need to. I’ll keep look out.”

Ronnie turned away from them and peered over the side of the building. The red demons had scattered and returned to their place in the shadows across the street. She could just make out the shifting movements of their red hides in the darkness. The guards saw them too. They were lined up with their hands on their weapons, ready for another assault. Ronnie smiled. She would definitely be bringing more treats for this little demon clan.

Behind her, whispered chants floated around like a gentle breeze, Malik’s baritone laying under Lorna’s soft tone. She glanced over her shoulder at them as it got brighter- Lorna’s white light like moonbeams under shadow with Malik’s yellow magic swirling around hers, enveloping it and bolstering it into their own tiny sun that hovered between them.

Wow. Magic was an incredible thing.

Both of their faces were masks of intense concentration. Together, they moved like mirrored reflections. Each breath was simultaneous and when Lorna moved her hand forward, so did Malik. They presented the little swirling sun to the engraved spell that covered the silver beam. After a moment, the symbols lit up, perceiving that morning had come. The window popped open with the slightest tinkle of sound. The tiny sun burst between them in blinding flash as Lorna and Malik released the spell.

Spots danced in front of Ronnie’s eyes for several seconds and she blinked rapidly, hoping to clear them that much sooner. Through the daze, the shadows at the end of the roof moved again, obvious this time. Ronnie realized with alarm what it was.

“Someone’s coming!” she hissed.

“The spell is fading too,” Lorna pointed at the top of the beam. With no sustained light, morning had turned to night for the spell.

“Hurry!” Malik pushed Lorna toward the window.

Lorna lay on her back and inched her way, feet first, through the gap, helped by Malik who pushed at her shoulders. When she was through, Malik handed her his bag. Ronnie ducked down to a crouch and pressed against the glass dome, staying as out of sight as she could manage. Malik, bulkier than Lorna, was taking longer to squeeze through the open window. Over his quiet grunts and huffs of air, Ronnie could make out the careful steps of an alerted guard.

Claws slipped free from her fingers. She could probably take the guard if necessary. Maybe. She’d never attacked a guardsman before. She always avoided the White Guard at all costs. No supernatural actually sought them out but if her family was in danger, she’d sure as hell try.

With a scuff of cloth on stone, Malik finally slipped through the window, hissing at her to hurry. Ronnie dropped to her stomach and held out her arms. Malik’s hands wrapped around one arm and Lorna’s hands wrapped around the other. With a stiff yank, the two of them tugged her through the window. It was a small drop onto a cross beam and Ronnie landed too close to Lorna, knocking her off balance. She slipped, a foot stepping off the beam. Lorna flailed her arms wildly as she tipped back, but Ronnie caught the front of her shirt in a tight fist and hauled her forward. Above them, the window closed and sealed itself shut.

“Thanks,” Lorna whispered.

“Don’t mention it.”

Malik shushed them and tugged both of them toward him and against the wall. Outside, Ronnie could hear the muffled slap of boots on stone. For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. No one breathed. No one moved. Malik’s grip on them tensed and tightened as the wait dragged on.

Finally, the inspecting guard seemed satisfied and the footsteps retreated into the distance. The three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief. Now that the immediate danger had passed, Ronnie stepped away from Malik and Lorna and looked down. The Cage hadn’t changed since she’d been here last. Only two people were still busy working and, by a stroke of luck, they weren’t near the tall black doors. There were still two guards though, Ronnie saw with a sinking heart. She motioned at Malik and pointed to the doors. He silently studied them, scrubbing a hand over the dark coarse hairs dusting his chin.

“We can use the window above them,” he whispered finally. “If we’re quiet, hopefully they won’t notice us.”

Hopefully the window even opened, Ronnie wanted to say. They probably wouldn’t get away with using any more magic while inside the Cage.

There were four sets of enemy eyes on them now.