Page 70 of Liar
I push my brows in. “Sorry. No can do.” And try another swing.
This time, my first foot makes it, and after a grunt and a ton of core strength, my other foot makes it, too. I push until I’m steady, then move my hands to the shingles in a quick transfer, slipping slightly but keeping myself on the angled roof.
“Ember!” Savannah cries, slamming her hands on the ledge. “Get the fuck back here! I’m not climbing up after you in a stupid suicide mission!”
I crawl like a bug over the multi-gabled roof, all the while searching for a place to jump or crawl through…
Yeah, I really didn’t think this part through. Weatherby Manor is infested with Society members. Anywhere I go, they’ll catch me. While it’s true I’ve found the one place where they won’t follow, I can’t stay up here all night. I’ll freeze to death in my school uniform.
My breaths are clouds of smoke. I can’t feel my cheeks and my hands and feet are basically robotics I’m controlling with my mind. I have to figure out my next move and fast.
I shuffle to the other side of the house, my head constantly swiveling. Once I’m high enough, I pull myself to the top and belly flop on the uppermost roof ridge until I can swing a leg over and straddle it.
One of Weatherby Manor’s gable tops looms in front of me, featuring a compass that I never realized housed an iron raven in the middle.
God, I wish that raven could help me figure out the safest direction down from here.
Cursing, I lock my hands on the back of my neck and look up to the starry sky, parsing through my next steps. I don’t have my phone—it’s in the messenger bag I left in the foyer. I’ve escaped Damion and Savannah for now, but Malcolm’s still with them. They could be hurting him. Other members could be enduring their own challenge, with Malcolm as the target.
Each possible threat becomes worse than the last. My heart rate ratchets up, impervious to the winter air.
I’m about as useful to Malcolm as one of his stone gargoyles up here. I have to get down, regardless of who catches me. I have to be with Malcolm. There’s still time for Aiko’s and my plan to succeed—the FBI could be planning a raid on Damion’s house as I sit here, wafting in the wind.
“Ember!” someone whisper-shouts behind me.
My hands smack against the roof’s ridge. I twist my torso to the sound of my name as much as I can.
“Come quickly.”
I squint into the surrounding trees, seeing nothing until a flash of light snaps my attention to a cloaked figure between the branches.
The hood is up, but I can tell it’s black. A Noble, holding up their flashlight app high enough to highlight the outfit, but not their features.
So much for thinking I won’t be followed up here. Savannah’s reluctance made me too confident. I start shimmying away on a hiss, basically riding a roof horse to get away from him.
“Wrong way, little pretty.”
Thorne. If I thought my heartbeats were erratic before, now they’re breaking through my ribs.
“Get over here before another member figures out tree climbing as a way to retrieve you.”
“How do I know you’re not retrieving me?” I whisper-shout back.
“It’s pretty obvious that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“Then I’ll be just fine. See you.”
“Ember.”
“What? Can’t you see I’m busy here?”
“If you’ll stop humping the roof for one moment, you’ll realize I’m here to help you.”
“I’ll … I’ll get down when they all get tired of waiting for me and leave.”
“That’ll be a while.”
“S-see if I care.”