“We don’t have much time,” Zeran said, shifting to his human form.

I grabbed my staff, and the first sparks of a gateway flashed before my eyes. “Old, spooky factory, here we come.”

Zeran and I left Eleni behind, looking not too pleased. She’d get over it. We had to do this by the book if we wanted to find his brother. There was no room for error, and the more people involved, the bigger the chance that something would go wrong.

As soon as we exited the gateway, Zeran grabbed my arms and pinned them behind my back. He leaned in close to my ear. “Play along in case we’re being watched.” Then he raised his voice. “You should choose your friends more carefully, godling.”

We were near the warehouse, and the building spanned almost an entire city block. I pretended to try to twist out of his grasp. “Traitor! I should have known better than to trust you.”

Zeran shoved me, and I stomped on his foot for good measure. Soon, he was pushing me into the warehouse, where we’d play out our plan. “Did you have to stomp on my foot?”

“Got to make it look good,” I said as we heard approaching steps from outside. “Sounds like they’re here.” I lay on the floor, which was covered in dust. I had to bury my nose in my jacket, so I didn’t sneeze. I pretended to be unconscious, just like Tisha Thomas had seen in her vision.

A moment later, someone asked in a rough voice. “Is that her . . . Elegguá’s spawn?”

“The one and only,” Zeran answered smugly.

“She’s so . . . tiny,” another darkbringer chimed in. This one sounded like he had a stuffy nose.

I rolled my eyes beneath my jacket. He was in for a rude awakening. This tiny girl was about to kick his butt.

“I delivered the guardian as promised,” Zeran said. “Now tell me how to find Billu.”

“His squad was sent to Bayou Teche in Louisiana to convince the head of the adze, Black Mamba, to turn against the celestials,” the first darkbringer answered. “They haven’t been heard from since.”

Zeran didn’t say anything for a beat, and the silence was tense. His next words came out brittle. “No one went to look for them?”

“The Lord of Shadows does not tolerate failure,” the darkbringer with the cold said. “He would not authorize resources to start a search, not even when your father insisted.”

“Black Mamba lives on a sprawling estate at the end of Praline Road,” said the first darkbringer. “You can’t miss it, but if you value your life, you’ll stay away.”

“Let’s take the girl and go,” the second darkbringer declared as he kneeled beside me.

“About that.” I jabbed my foot into his side. “Change of plans.”