“The roads are shit,” Curran said. “We didn’t exactly know where Mishmar was in the first place, and when we finally got here it took another day to find a way in. But the real issue was that we couldn’t move during tech. Christopher suspended your hair in some solution and we used it as a compass, but it only worked while the magic was up. I had to sit on my hands and wait half of the time. We’ve been wandering through the damn place for days.”

Poor Christopher. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, but not there. I cannot go there again. But he did. He came to Mishmar for me. If we got out of here alive, I would find a way to repay him.

“Did Christopher tell you to bring the saws?”

Curran nodded. “He said there were prison cells . . .”

Curran raised his head. Robert turned toward the doorway.

A rhythmic staccato of shots was coming from somewhere down the hallway. Ten to one, it was Andrea.

Thomas stuck his head into the doorway. “We have to move.”

• • •

WE RAN THROUGH the narrow hallway. Well, I wasn’t really running. I was dragging myself forward.

Curran leaned toward me. “Are you going to be a hardass about this?”

“What do you think?” We were already down by one, because Ghastek couldn’t walk and Jim decided to carry him. I wouldn’t tie up Curran’s hands by making him carry me, too.

“If you say you got it, you got it. But if you fall down, I’ll pick you up.”

“Deal.”

Falling didn’t seem like such a bad idea now.

The narrow hallway kept going, its plain brown walls punctuated by doorways that opened into offices filled with filthy shattered furniture. The two wererats led the way, both in half-form, lean, shaggy, and fast. Nasrin followed, then Curran and I, Jim with Ghastek, and Christopher and Andrea bringing up the rear. Behind us, the vampires dashed through Mishmar. I could feel their minds. There were close to twenty now, six directly behind us and the rest above and on the sides. It felt like they were moving through the walls.

Thomas, the larger of the two wererats, made a sharp turn. I followed just in time to see him jump through a jagged hole in the floor. I ran after him and looked through the hole. A nine-foot drop. Sure, why not. I climbed into the hole. Ow. I stumbled. Okay, this wasn’t a good idea. Curran dropped down after me.

“Got it, baby?” he asked quietly.

“Piece of cake.”

Nasrin was already jumping through another hole a few feet to the right. I checked the height. More like twenty-five feet this time and too narrow for me and Curran to go through at once. “I’ll take that help.”

Curran jumped in and landed down below. “Go.”