Knights of the Grey City

Chapter 50 - DEFENSES

"You're really going to go do this," Rayne said, looking with apprehension between the three of us.

"We have to," said Huang, leaning his elbows on the backrest of one of the chairs. Rayne was seated cross-legged across the table from us, half hidden behind the giant sword. I had given the sword a poke when we settled into the atrium just a few minutes ago, but there was nothing special about it—just a giant hunk of metal. "You'll be safe here, I promise. And we shouldn't be too long."

"Let's go already," Katie said, standing near the door. I glanced over at her—she seemed at ease, as if she'd forgotten about the party incident last week. I could have been imagining a new ferocity in her expression.

Rayne looked uncertainly around the atrium, her gaze lingering on a shadow that was passing by the walls. "I guess I can't really stop you, I just... I can't believe this is normal for you people."

"We know what has to be done and we're going to go do it," Katie sighed. "Take your time to adjust to the new situation, I guess, but this is the way it is."

Rayne still looked like she had something to say, but after a moment, she just shrugged and leaned back in her chair. She pulled out a small sketchbook from her purse. "Well... come back and get me when you're done, I guess. Try not to die?"

Huang nodded. "We'll do our best."

It did feel strange to turn around and leave her there, but taking her along as a human would be a uniquely terrible idea. So far, she claimed she hadn't felt even the faintest hint of a bell-tone.

We entered the Garden District. Huang and Katie took on their dragon forms and lifted off, but I decided to stay human for a while longer. We spotted a bridge up ahead and started in that direction.

"All right," Huang said. "I'm going to go over this again so it's in our heads. This is our first engagement in a while, so I'm worried we might be a little rusty."

"Hah!" Katie replied. "Think again." She whirled around in a loop, flying upside down and spitting a wave of fire across the grey sky. The fog lit up in orange.

The Gargoyle dipped a little lower to avoid her showmanship. "See, this is what I'm worried about, Katie. Don't get too confident. We are going to be in and out. Get a brief look of the layout and then find our way back."

"I hope there are at least a few demons," she said. I frowned up at the Firedrake. Sometimes I still had trouble seeing the lonely teenager as the ferocious, fiery monster up there. The same soul seemed so different.

"Katie," I called, "We both know this isn't a game. If we let our guard down, we can get really hurt. I'm speaking from experience here."

"I'll watch your back," she said immediately, somewhat missing my point. I grimaced.

As we mounted a wide bridge in the new No Man's Land, I transformed into the Leviathan. The world sharpened around me, my spatial sense expanding my awareness.

"Keep in mind that we might not be able to walk in and then just turn around," Huang said. "We'll have to find the trigger. I hope it's something easy to spot, like bridges, but it's possible that, when trying to leave the Walled District, it's something else. So, stay calm and be observant."

"Calm and observant," I said. "My middle names."

"I wish that was actually true," Huang said wistfully.

We continued until we reached the central area with raised highways weaving overhead. I stretched my spatial sense out over the bridges, searching for an indication of where to go next.