Page 7 (1/2)

"A well-placed blow fro the a little more discreet than that"

He contemplated the camera for a moment, then said, "Perhaps the woman at the desk can be convinced to turn them off temporarily"

"I’m sure you could sweet-talk the sun out of the sky if it suited you, reaper"

He frowned, though aht eyes "That is an illogical statement"

"Which doesn’t mean it’s not true" I waved a hand "Go sweet-talk I’ll wait here"

He turned and left I contemplated the battered roller door for several seconds, then turned my attention to the doors on either side Would it be worth breaking into them on the off chance there was some form of ventilation between the two rooms? In Aedh form I was little ive access With any sort of luck, the ic that protected Genevieve’s locker was concentrated at the entrance rather than being all-encoranted, but surely some sort of luck had to fall our way eventually

I contemplated the door for a few more seconds, then retreated to the other side of the hall to wait Azriel returned a few minutes later "The cameras at either end of this hall have been turned off"

I pushed away fro to try entry from one of the other lockers Hopefully, whoever set the spell ht not have considered that eventuality"

"Unlikely The , as well as walls?"

He hesitated "Oddly, not the floor"

"Then maybe that will play in our favor"

"Andto try"

"Of course you are"

He said it with resigned acceptance, and I couldn’t help s it slowly as I called to the Aedh within ue that still assailed asped It tore through ic that rendered flesh and muscle and bone apart, until I was littlewho could see and hear, but not speak I turned and headed for the locker to the right of the one registered to Genevieve Sands, sliding in through the sap between the concrete and in the roller door The area beyond was dark and cra furniture I swung around, scanning the wall that divided this locker froive ap, then it would more than likely be where the wall met the floor or roof, not in the actual wall I rose up but couldn’t see any access points along the joint between the wall and ceiling Maybe Azriel was right--maybe this was a waste of tiive up--not before I’d checked all options, anyway

Ibetween a couple of the old boxes that were craod knohat else fell around ly to the particles that were my body It meant that, at best, I’d be as itchy as hell when I re-for bits of debris from my skin for days

There were lots of skeletal bits of spiders and bugs along the joint betall and floor, as well as flashes of living things that skittered away as I approached the in Aedh fory beings or in some way connected to them, such as the Razan, ere the hu

I slipped through another gap between the boxes, but drifted a little too high and caught the edge of the spell protecting the locker on the other side Energy ran throughthat didn’t actually hurt But it arning enough that the spell, while it ht not be Aedh specific, would certainly react to ot too close

I moved on As I neared the junction of the inner and outer walls, I finally spotted what I was looking for--a slight crack between the concrete of the wall and the floor I slithered in

And found eic here--it rippled throughBut that wasn’t all there was

Standing in the ht stones I’d seen their like once before--in the tunnels Jak and I had found underneath West Street Those stones had turned out to be a gateway, though it wasn’t one we’d been able to use, so we still had no idea where it went Maybe these stones were the saht--siertips when I’d touched thethe door--flared between the two pillars, shi softly in the darkness

When I retreated, the light faded I studied the stones for a ic that protected the walls and ceiling wasn’t evident here After a ed back to huround, so the drop onto all fours was a little ant than usual I stayed there for several seconds, breathing deep, waiting for the quivering in my muscles and the fierce ache in my head to ease off Both were the inevitable result of beco Aedh--I wasn’t a full blood, and therefore paid a price that few Aedh did This ti or fierce as it usually was Maybe constant use wasme more adept

I pushed carefully to my feet, and a cloud of fibers and dust swirled around me Another casualty of the Aedh shift wastheic didn’t always delineate between bits ofto my atoms when in Aedh for

I do not think this course of action wise, Azriel said His disapproval spun down thea hint of frustration