Or if—

“Found it.”

Laila turned to see Séverin clutching a perfume stopper. For a moment, his pupils looked blown out with fear. He shook his head, his expression returning to normal, but Laila could tell he’d seen something disturbing.

“You’re certain?” asked Enrique.

Séverin looked away from them, managing a tight nod.

“So do we just take the bottle and go?” asked Hypnos.

Laila studied the room. It hadn’t changed. It was still stiflingly hot. The lights on the floor hadn’t altered, and even when they’d opened and checked every mind Forged perfume bottle, not even the coiled glass at the back wall shifted. Above them, the cold winter moon stared down through the domed sky glass.

Séverin eyed the podium.

“We don’t know what will happen when I remove the bottle, so we must be prepared for the worst-case scenario,” he said. “Zofia. What do we have?”

“Fourteen explosives, six close-range blades, steel rope, and Forged muffling cloth,” said Zofia, before pointing at her robes. “And these are fire-repellent.”

“Wonderful, deadly items which, I’m certain, will not be necessary … yes?” said Hypnos, looking at them. “Yes?”

Séverin grabbed the perfume bottle from the podium, stashing it in the box Ruslan had given him. All remained still and quiet.

“See?” said Hypnos. “Nothing.”

Laila felt a change in the room. There was a slight shimmer to the air, the room crimped with a dredging of heat. A dribbling sound caught her attention. She turned just in time to see the glassy staircase entrance fusing into a wall, eliminating their exit. On the back wall, the undulating coils of glass twisted together, and Laila felt her heart slam into her throat.

They had never been coils.

They were scales.

19

ZOFIA

Zofia did not have room for fear.

Her mind grasped at the scene, breaking it down into parts. The liquid glass oozed from the panel, falling to the floor and gaining shape. Within seconds, the glass fused into a long snout, sharp claws, a thick tail, and a body that towered nearly fifteen meters high. The glass creature swung its head to face them.

“Remember how I asked for a dragon?” said Hypnos. “I take it back.”

Zofia noted the hot fan of its translucent wings, the stripe of scarlet up its belly, the clear teeth the size of her hand, and the lashing tail twisted with blue pigment. She smelled and tasted the molten metal in the air, coppery like blood. She heard the smash of its huge tail against the floor, like the sound of a shattering chandelier.

“Watch out!” shouted Laila.

She grabbed Zofia’s arm, yanking her to the floor just as the glass dragon’s tail whipped out, slamming against the wall. Normally, the force should have shattered the vials, but they stood perfectly intact. At the base of each pedestal, Zofia noticed a dimly glowing metal sphere. She recognized the structures immediately: Gaia Dots. Lightweight, but designed to absorb shock. That was what had to be holding the vials in place.