The hallway stretched before us, dimly lit by flickering sconces. Behind us, heavy boots slammed against the marble floor as Valcairn’s soldiers gave chase.

  "Lena, shortcut?" I gasped between breaths.

  "Ahead, right turn, then down!" she shot back.

  I didn’t question it. She had memorized the auction house’s layout beforehand. Ryn and I had trusted her to know the escape routes. Now, we just had to survive long enough to use them.

  We turned sharply, nearly crashing into a serving boy carrying a tray of wine. The tray clattered to the floor, glass shattering. Someone shouted.

  Behind us, the guards were gaining.

  Lena didn’t slow. She reached the end of the corridor and jumped straight over the railing.

  I barely had time to react before I saw her land on a chandelier swinging over the main hall.

  I swallowed. Oh, hell no.

  But I didn’t have a choice.

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  I pushed off the ledge and grabbed the iron frame, swinging with all my weight. The chandelier creaked, dust and candle wax raining down.

  Guards burst into the corridor just as I let go, dropping down onto a long banquet table below.

  Lena was already up, running. I rolled to my feet, ignoring the pain lancing through my shoulder.

  The crowd in the auction hall erupted into chaos. Nobles screamed, tables overturned. Someone yelled about an assassin.

  Good. Let them panic.

  We dashed for the side exit—just as the main doors slammed open.

  Ryn.

  His coat was torn, his lip bleeding. But he was grinning.

  "That went well," he said.

  "Not done yet," Lena snapped.

  We had one last obstacle.

  Valcairn’s Counter

  The exit was in sight. But Valcairn was already moving, his massive form cutting through the chaos like an iron blade.

  I cursed. We couldn’t outrun him.

  He raised a hand. A pulse of energy rippled through the room—some kind of anti-magic field.

  My breath caught. He was shutting down any enchanted items, any magic-based tricks. If we had planned to vanish with teleportation or illusions, we were out of luck.

  Lena skidded to a stop, already calculating our options.

  "New plan?" I muttered.

  "Yeah," Ryn said, stepping past us. "I fight him. You two run."

  Lena and I shared a look.

  "You sure?" she asked.

  "Nope." Ryn rolled his shoulders. "But it's fun."

  Then he charged Valcairn.

  I didn’t stay to watch. Ryn was good, but Valcairn was a monster.

  Lena grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the exit. Guards were still pushing through the chaos, but the auction hall was too wild for them to organize properly.

  We shoved through a servant’s door, sprinting into the kitchen. Chefs and workers gasped, backing away as we knocked over trays and barrels.

  Lena veered left, throwing open a cellar door.

  "Jump!" she said.

  I hesitated.

  "Jump, Haider!"

  I jumped.

  We landed in knee-deep water, the underground tunnels cold and reeking of damp stone.

  Lena was already moving.

  "Sewers lead outside the city," she panted.

  "And Ryn?" I asked.

  "If he survives, he’ll find us."

  I swallowed down my worry and focused on running.

  The mission wasn’t over.

  We had the High-Level Grimoire—but now we had an entire kingdom hunting us.

  And worse?

  We still had one last grimoire left to find.