Chapter 53
Jeremiah parked the carriage outside the Main Station, the wheels skidding to stop.
"Camilla, wait—"
Before Aramis could complete his warning, I was already out the door and running up the brick paved steps to the boarding deck.
The station was draped in snow and thick ice that gleamed in the streetlamps still flickering in their orbs over the cobblestones. Ice made the steps up to the entrance perilous, but I slipped a little fire in front of my path, still unfortunately wearing nothing but my flats and the party dress—which had held up considerably for what it had been through. Far more than I could say for my nerves.
Nico was nowhere to be found. The place was empty, and yet there were footprints covering the platform, pressed into the light dusting of snow that had blown in from the exposed loading deck.
"He's not here," I called to my brother through the archway. "You said he'd be—"
Something sharp sunk into my neck, and my power went quiet in my blood. Shots fired from behind—Aramis eliminating the watchman that drugged me. He fell to my side with a solid thud that tremored through the platform.
"Camilla, get down!"
Before I could take cover behind the ticket booth nearby, a man popped out from behind the door and shoved me off the platform. I fell onto a bed of sharp rocks, only to be dragged by two guards across a set of tracks while Aramis took the offensive for me. And if I heard correctly, there were two guns firing from the depot. Jeremiah must have finally found his fight.
"Do we kill her or take her back?"
"Let Halloway decide."
The men dragged me behind an abandoned railcar and pinned me against the side, the layout of the yard similar to how we'd left it the night we rescued Regulus. A man dressed in a fine suit, like he'd just left a party, appeared from around the corner with more guards trailing behind him.
His large hand wrapped my neck, canting my head to view every angle of my face. A grin stretched his cheeks. "You're the Attanos' little treasure. Nicolai's whore of a wife." He released me quickly, like I revolted him. "We will have fun with you. But first, we take care of the car."
"Where is he?" I spat through my teeth.
He ignored my question and stalked off, leaving me with two guards. The gunfire continued, more joining the chorus of bullets splitting metal and brick, and I worried for my brothers trying to fight back with so little coverage. I needed to get out of their hold quickly—before something terrible happened to either of them.
There was a sudden blur of movement, the flicker of silver and the slice of wind preceded a guttural sound from both watchmen. Their grasps simultaneously loosened, slinking to the ground in a pile of loose flesh and black armor.
Solomon Attano stood in front of me, wiping the blood from a double-edged sword on one of their uniforms. He returned it to the base of his cane, where it connected to appear like a normal walking assistant.
"Camilla, are you alright?" He touched my face. "What's happened? Brief me quickly!"
I shook my head, the weight of every fear pressing on a single point over my chest, making it difficult to breathe, much less explain. He took me under his arm and spoke in my silence. "My mother woke up a few hours ago and pulled the truth out of Gideon and Adler. The minute we heard about the deal with Desmond, we came."
"We?"
"The family. Caught Luther red-handed at the Industrial Station and he filled us in on the way here."
"Sol, if you've given Nonna a weapon—"
He chuckled. "Nonna, despite her initial arguments, decided to sit this one out. Now, what's the plan?"
"Right, what's the plan, boss?" Gideon asked, approaching with Adler and Esme from behind the nearest railcar. She smiled, though it didn't quite fill her face as it usually did.
I sighed, trying to think straight. "We need to get the last car over the viaduct, but I can't find Nico. The only other place he could be is perhaps helping the men push the car. But I'm worried he's going to do something... drastic."
"Drastic is his nature," Sol murmured. "Should we clear the yard, then? Give him a clear path?"
There had to be nearly twenty watchmen, twice as many of us. Some of which had Niner blades tucked in their sheaths. But Solomon Attano did not consider spilling blood lightly, and my threshold had lowered significantly to the idea as well.
"We can try," I said, feeling breathless. Because what else was there to do until Nico showed himself? He could be suspended in the second for all we knew.
A thought struck me. If the Attanos had come from the industrial park, then Nico had never made it. He'd do anything to get that last car through the city, knowing the contents would shift the scales. Anything—even if it drained him of magic.
"I need you to cover me while I wait on the tracks," I told the cousins.
"Milla, that's out in the open. You'll be target practice—"
"I don't think Halloway wants me dead just yet. Besides, it won't be long if my theory is correct."
"And if it's not?" Esme asked. "What will we tell Nico when we give you back to him full of holes?"
I grabbed a pistol from one of the dead guards and checked the chamber, thankful it was full. "You'll tell Nico that I loved him enough not to let him destroy himself."
I shotat anything with a cape that moved until I stood on the center track, blocking the way back to the Row. Staring down the south end of the station, I willed the car to appear. Something to emerge from the misty end of the marshaling yard.
Bullets whirred past like the irritating buzz of a fly, but I denied them a reaction. They were missing on purpose, knew my value enough to heed their commander's order. The family behind me shot down any head that peered around a railcar, keeping me protected despite the risk of standing out in the open.
"Ceasefire!"
Halloway appeared then, hands raised above his head, along with his gun. He came to stand in front of me, blocking my view of the south entrance. Smoke curled in the dead space between our forces from the wasted bullets, and a strange silence returned over the yard.
"Camilla," Halloway spoke loudly. "You're going to get everyone you care about killed, including your husband. Surrender yourself and the car and no one else will be punished tonight. That's more than fair."
"Fair?" I laughed. "You think what the Niners are doing is fair? What Felix did to those he tested on? What the descendants went through in Hightower? This has nothing to do with justice or laws or doing what is right. It's about the Nine's incessant preoccupation for Order."
"You cannot stop us, Camilla."
I shook my head slowly, buying a few more seconds of time. "I already have."
The car appeared behind him, too late for anyone to do something. The speed of the abandoned railcar coming down the tracks was enough to thrust the rusted end of the coupler through the unaware man standing in front of me—unaware until it was too late.
Halloway's mouth gaped open in shock, and the car, without anyone pushing it, slowed to a stop mere feet in front of me. With glazed eyes, he looked down at his chest and the protruding metal, then looked back up at me.
A lazy arm lifted, and I was suddenly looking down the barrel of a gun.
"Milla!"
I hit the ground before the shot went off. Sharp rocks dug into my temple as Nico's arms slid over me. "Seven hells, Milla! What were you thinking?"
He was trembling violently all over. I shoved off the ground to sit up, stroking every mark on his face as I assessed him. Dark circles hung beneath bloodshot eyes. He breathed heavily, like he'd just finished a sprint, but his skin was ice-cold. A deeper chill than the weather could penetrate.
Dread curled beneath my ribs. "Nico, did you drain your remnant?"
"I . . ." He gasped. "I don't know. Perhaps."
But I couldn't focus on him long when the watchmen emerged from their shelters and ran for the car in front of us. Nico noticed the guards trying to take back the stock and shouted at his family. "Adler! Burn it!"
"No!" I tried to nullify the command, but the cousin didn't question an order from his boss. The air around us suddenly dropped even colder, ice crawled over the tracks as the heat bender stole the remaining warmth left in the world around us to light a blazing inferno inside the railcar, burning anything and everything within it. Burning Nico's last chance to get his shadow back.
The watchman cursed, looking at each other, looking at their dead commander, calculating their odds against the Attanos, before eventually deciding better of retaliating. I felt their disappointment for different reasons. We both had failed.
"It's alright, my love," Nico said, pulling me into his cold chest. His heart fluttered against my temple. "It's better this way."
"No, you impulsive fool!" I beat a fist against that weakening heart. Cursing every skipped beat. "We needed to get that car to Desmond to finish the deal."
"The deal doesn't matter if—"
"You're not going to die!" I screamed at him. He went still, his lips parting in question. "Not by the Niner blade. Aramis explained to me how the poison works and, since you don't have your shadow, you weren't going to die from it." But now... without the final part of the delivery...
Realization hit Nico hard. His features crumbled, and I'd never—never—seen him defeated. Not as he was now. "Shit."
We sat there, holding each other as the flames stretched into the night until the heat from the flames became too much. My brothers helped us back onto the platform where the Attanos had already gathered. I explained to them in as few words as possible the events at the party and the implications of destroying the stock—leaving out my trip to Oblivion. It wasn't time for that yet.
Adler cursed, angry at himself.
Fran dismissed her tears with a stealthy swipe of a gloved hand across her cheeks. "This is not the end of it. We are Attanos. We will find a way. Where we fall, we rise."
"Un cancidamus orbitur," Luther's voice carried across the station, and we turned to find him and Finn trailed by one of the Canary Boys. "We'll find this fucking client and make sure they agree to a compensation. If they accept the offer, the dealer should be appeased as well. We'll start right now if we must!"
"What do you want to do, Nico?" Sol asked his nephew.
Nico leaned against me slightly, wavering on his feet. He didn't seem interested in finding the client, or anything else for that matter. "I want to go home."
I squeezed his hand and put on a mask, pretending my heart wasn't breaking. "I left something in the carriage. Let me go get it first."
He nodded mechanically, joining me as I led us outside toward the driveway. Waiting in the loop of the drive, however, was not just our empty carriage. There were others, including the least likely person I expected to turn up here.
Vanya Hartsong.
"Sorry it took so long," she said wistfully. "It took a while for Felix's compulsion to wear off so I could leave the party. Fortunately, everyone began to vomit viciously all over the place. Thank hells I didn't host." She winked at us. "Looks like I made it just in time."
"Vanya, we—"
She held up a gloved hand to silence me. "There's no need for an explanation. Let me take a look to see how I can help."
"You can't help this time, Vanya," Nico whispered.
She smiled at him softly before pushing past us. "I'm offended, Nico. After all I've done, even you underestimate me. Let's just see the damage."
The Watch was more than eager to explain to Vanya the events of the evening, with her official title as Head of Public Affairs and the latest inspector dead, she was next in line concerning lawful leadership.
She could've had Nico arrested right there and then for illegally transporting unauthorized stock through the city. Vanya, however, failed to see a crime present. Even as she assessed the state of Halloway's body, grimacing at the grotesque scene.
"As far as I can tell, there is no illegal stock. Just an empty car of ashes," she said. "As for Halloway, it's tragic, truly, what happened to him." She looked at the nearest guard. "Now, did anyone see one of the Attanos push him on the coupler?"
"No miss, the car rolled by itself—"
"And he was standing on the tracks with his back to it? Well, I'd consider that a terrible accident and quite negligent on his part. Standing on the tracks is dangerous at any time, especially at night with all this fog. Wouldn't you agree, Captain? Or should I say, Commander? A position is open, after all."
The guard's mouth slapped shut. "I suppose that's an accurate assessment."
"Indeed," Vanya said, smiling. She looked up at Nico and me, gesturing with her chin to follow her down the platform, away from the guards.
"Vanya, I appreciate this, but you don't—"
"With all respect, Nicolai, please shut up." She braced a hand on his shoulder and patted it lightly. "I suppose, considering everything that's happened between us, I could work something out with Desmond."
My mouth fell open, unsure if I heard her correctly. "You know Desmond?"
"Of course. I'm his most valued client." She let that sink in a moment, a smirk carving into her cheek. "If you haven't worked it out by now, I am the client that asked the Demon Dealer to move an unholy amount of mirkwood through the city. It shocked me to learn that you of all descendants took the job, though it worked out well enough for the both of us."
Nico blinked several times, processing what she was saying. "You mean you'll approve the deal with Desmond? I'll get my collateral back?"
"If he wants to continue working in the city, he'll do whatever the fuck I tell him."
We both released a long breath, and I watched a wide smile stretch Nico's cheeks. A bit of life returned to his eyes and added coloring to his face. "But why? Why would you even..."
"Have him move it for me in the first place? Simple. The Firenzes were after my family as head of the Nine Crowns, and I needed them taken care of. I took them down where it hurt financially, trusting you to finish the rest. I'm sorry, by the way, I hated leading you to them tonight, but it was the only way I could plant you both close enough to destroy Felix for good."
Nico scrubbed his face with his hand. "You could have told me your plan, Vanya. This would have been a hells lot simpler."
"I didn't know it was you who took my deal until Camilla mentioned something about it when we met, and let's face it, it was far too late at that point. It took a bit of planning on my feet, but we did it. We removed the threat on the city, and now we can move forward. I hope to continue what we started tonight, Nicolai."
"It won't be easy," he said.
"No." She looked at me then. "But none of us are doing this because it's easy. The people want change. They want peace. The only way for that to happen is if everyone, regardless of which side we belong to, feels safe enough to be who they are here."
I smiled. "Well, you have my vote whenever you decide to run for office."
Vanya barked a laugh but waved a dismissive hand. "I'll let my father have his time, though he knows I'm gunning for his seat. One day, he'll realize I deserve it. Until then, sisterhoods and socialites will have to be enough."
She held out a hand to Nico, and he shook it firmly. "Thank you, Vanya. Always a pleasure."
"Thank you, Nico. Thank you, both. Now get out of here before the rest of the Watch shows up. I'll send word to Desmond immediately to get your shadow back."
"I think that's wise. Looks like the rest of them are eager to get back as well." Nico nodded to my brother, who grabbed the book I'd gone back to retrieve.
When I started to make the long walk toward the viaduct, Nico pulled me back, anchored in place. "Something wrong?" Stupid question. He'd nearly reached the bottom of his remnant and felt like shit, there was plenty bothering him.
"It's morning." He gestured with his chin toward the horizon. The sky cleared over the east side of the city, disrupting the dark sky with gradients of golds and pinks and the hope of a new day.
He pulled me into his chest, his false hand slipping beneath the jacket Gideon spared for me, and I suppressed a chill from the coldness of the metal and the familiarity of his touch. "I love you, Camilla Mercy Marchese-Attano. I don't know how many mornings I have left to keep that promise I made you, but I do. I love you."
My throat nearly shut under the weight of those words. "I love you too, Nicolai Attano. Forever, however long that is."
He kissed me like forever depended on it, and his hands were everywhere at once. Pinching my waist, clawing at my hips, cupping the slope of my neck until his fingers tangled in my hair. He kissed me until the sun rose above the rooflines in the distance and soaked the marshaling yard in a golden glow.
I broke from his lips. "Nico?"
"Yes, my love?"
"I don't want to move out."
His fingers twisted around the hair at the base of my head, tugging them sharply to cant my head and expose my throat. "That's fine. We can stay if that's what you want."
I sucked a breath as he kissed the hollow of my throat. "It is," I managed to say. "I'm ready to tell you everything, Nico. I want you to know the parts of me I hate most, even if you hate them too. Because every piece of me loves you, and I'll not give you anything less than my entire self for the rest of our lives."
"I'm your selfish bastard, Milla." Cold lips grazed my wild pulse, speaking to the flutter of my heart. "I'll take whatever you give me, as long as you'll have me."
The crunch of footsteps came from behind us, and Nico loosened his embrace on me enough to look over his shoulder. Luther approached, covering his eyes with one hand, and feeling the way with his other.
"Everyone still got their clothes on?"
"So far," Nico replied. "Make it quick, though."
Luther sighed, shaking his head despairingly. "I just wanted to tell you the family is heading to the pub to grab a celebratory round. Thought you might want to join us unless you've got—" He cleared his throat. "Other plans."
"Our plans can wait." I smiled and looked at Nico. "I could really use a drink."
Nico placed a kiss on the hand he held and looped it around his arm. "You're the boss."
We ventured back to the Row together, to a corner establishment I'd avoided for too long. Where they poured ale straight from a tap and the owner had a private apartment right above the pub, who let me drink for free and left me drunk on his kiss. A quiet place on a quiet street where my entire life had fallen into place because of a single dance and a few drinks on the house.
We started our next story how we started our last—at the House of Bane.