Page 100 of Avalon Tower

The cadets rush out of the church ruins, slipping into the city streets. Tana, Serana and Darius stay behind. And Wrythe, of course, who retreats to a stone wall to fold his arms and scowl.

My lungs feel tight as I walk toward my friends in the vestry. I pull out my inhaler and take two puffs.

“Did he just expel you?” Serana asks me.

“He certainly threatened it.” I feel sick. “But believe it or not, there are more important things happening right now.”

If Nivene is right, the rest of the cadets are still in mortal danger—including my friends. On top of that, this attack would virtually destroy the future of MI-13.

I force myself to focus. “Forget Wrythe. I need your help, and I need you to trust me. Nivene just told me there’s another veil mage here, like the one who tried to kill me. And he’s here to take us all down.”

I quickly explain the rest, and my friends listen in shocked silence.

Just as I’m finishing, there’s a whisper from the conch shell, and I lift a finger to my ear. “Nia,” Nivene says, “I’m heading to Whitechapel. What’s the fair looking like?”

I clear my throat, touching the conch. “I’m still at the church.”

“Why are you still there? The veil mage wasn’t there. I’m not trying to be rude, but are you thick?” Nivene asks.

Her tone is sharp and judgmental, and I’m quickly catching on to what she meant when she said she’s “not good with politics.”

“Hang on a second, Nivene.” I look at my friends. “I have to go, but I need your help. Can you get Raphael or someone else from Avalon Tower over here? He was on the boat with us when we came to London. I know this is a lot to ask when we have a trial going on, but if the other Sentinel is right, we’re in deep trouble.”

“How are we supposed to find him?” Serana asks. “I have no idea where he is.”

I think about it quickly. “Most of the knights will be at St Katharine Docks, where the boat came in. Possibly Westminster or Downing Street.” My mind whirls. “Or that secret weapon store where MI-13 gets its supplies on Artillery Lane.” I look at Tana. “Okay, there are several possibilities, but try to find them, however you can. Tea, tarot, whatever works. Maybe split up to cover more ground. Just, please, go as quickly as possible.”

“What are you going to do?” Serana asks.

“Nivene and I can sense veil mages,” I say. “I’m going to help her find him. Hurry.” I start walking, glancing back at them as I do. “We don’t have much time.”

I speed out of the derelict churchyard and head along a curving road that leads to the Tower. Wisps of fog coil past me. I pass a pub with warm lights, steamed windows, and the chatter of people drinking inside. I break into a jog over a flagstone pavement until the steam fair comes into view.

Fog hangs over the brightly colored rides. Since modern technology stopped working, we’ve gone back to some of the more old-fashioned pleasures—steam fairs, carriage rides with horses, steam ships. In fact, if Wrythe expels me, I’ll be heading back to the U.S. on one of those pretty soon.

A group of men are walking past a merry-go-round, drinking beer from plastic cups. As I pass, one of them stumbles into me.

He says something to me, something about giving him a smile. But I can hardly hear over his screaming thoughts.

I WANT TO RUB MY FACE IN HER TITS.

I glower at him. “Fuck off.”

“What did I do?” Nivene asks in my ear.

“Not you.”

It’s crowded here, and I can smell the beer coming off everyone. My telepathic powers flare, and I worry it will make it hard to hear the veil magic.

I walk past a ride made to look like swinging ships, trying to smother my telepathy as people brush past me, and summon the threads of my Sentinel powers, listening for the quiet hum of the veil mage. Stopping at a stall, I buy a pint of beer. If I’m going to blend in here, it seems necessary.

With my beer in hand, I slip into the crowd. “I’m at the steam fair by the Tower,” I tell Nivene. “Nothing yet.”

Lights flash around me, and shouts pierce the air.

“Okay,” she says, her voice vibrating strangely in my ear. “I’m nearly at Brick Lane. Nothing here yet.”

“From how far away do you think we can sense him?”