Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 144277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 721(@200wpm)___ 577(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 721(@200wpm)___ 577(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
“Ready?” he asks, jutting his chin in the direction of the Looking Glass room.
I nod. “Yeah. Let’s do it and get the hell out of here. I don’t like this place.”
For the first time, Finn takes a really good look around and immediately he begins to frown. “Now that we’re up here, yeah. It’s… off. There’s something wrong with this one.” He looks at me, grinning. “I mean, aside from the fact that obviously, there’s no Extraction Master in this tower. It’s abandoned.”
I agree, so I nod. “Yeah.” And then I walk over to the windows, which I already know, overlook the entire city—from the top of the canal all the way down to the bottom.
Finn joins me and we stare down at the lifeless place, but then… movement. “Look.” I point. We both lean in, trying to make out what we’re seeing down the canal.
At first, I think it’s people but then Finn says, “Workers.” He turns to me. “We’ve never seen that before. Have we?”
I shake my head. “No. They stay under the city. Like little invisible slaves. They make the city run. I don’t think they’re supposed to be in the city. I don’t think the people are supposed to see them. I don’t think they’re supposed to know they’re even there.”
“Yeah.” Finn’s eyes scan the city. “What’s going on here?” He turns to me again. “Do we need to know? Or should we just do our job and leave?”
I give him a tiny shrug, but I’ve been asking myself the same question. “Are we scholars? Or are we just…” I search for a word that might describe all the destructive things we’ve done. But it takes a few before I land on, “…villains?”
“Villains?” Finn laughs. “If anyone had told me a month back that I’d be an infamous villain I’d have laughed in their face. Me. A villain. It’s ridiculous.”
This makes me scoff with amusement. I like the idea of us being the infamous and historic Godslayer and his Courtesan, especially since this book seems to be following me. But it is ridiculous. He’s Finn Scott, for fuck’s sake. He’s far from perfect, but a villain he is not. “So… scholars then?”
Looking towards the large open stairwell that leads down to the Extraction Master’s private quarters, he gestures. “Scholars it is. Let’s go do some research.”
We descend the staircase slowly, scanning the floors below us as we pass them by just in case there are people here. But it’s clear there aren’t. The place has been abandoned.
Each floor has a living space in full view of the stairwell and they’re all in disarray.
The bottom floor is a disaster. Couches upturned, broken windows, piles of debris on the floor, and even a few holes in the plaster walls.
“What the hell happened here?” Finn asks.
“Looks like some kind of battle.”
“The city rebelled?” he asks.
I like this about Finn. He knows it’s probably true, but he likes to refrain from making statements before asking my opinion about things. Even if it’s just to get my agreement, like now. “Yeah. Probably.”
“I guess they got tired of sending their Spark Maidens into the fake tower where there’s no god.”
I nod, still looking around. But my gaze lands on the front door. It’s open. And broken. “I think they came up here to kill the Extraction Master.”
Finn’s gaze goes to the door as well. “I don’t blame them.” Then he grabs my hand. “Come on, let’s go outside.”
My feet stay firmly planted right where they are. “No! Are you crazy? I don’t wanna go out there. We’ve seen enough. Something bad happened here. Let’s just blow the tower and leave.”
“But we’re scholars. It’s our duty to ask questions and look for answers.”
“There are workers down there.”
“So? They can’t even see us. It’s like we’re invisible.”
“Under the city, that’s what it’s like. What if it’s different out there?”
“Why would it be different out there?”
“I dunno.”
“Well, if they are, we need to know that, Jasina. It’s an important detail.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. But the thought of going out there makes me… jittery. My heart is racing. Feel.” I take the hand I’m holding and put it up against my chest, proving it to him.
“You’re scared,” he says.
“Yeah. And I’m not a girl who scares easily.”
“I think it’s good that you’re scared.”
“Why? Because you’re not?”
He nods. “Exactly. We’re a… complement. There are empty spaces inside of us where we’re missing critical character traits. Everyone has flaws. But we’re gonna do this, Jasina. We need to do this. So you stay scared so you can alert me to any danger and I’ll be brave, so we can find answers.”
My breath comes out in a rush, like I was holding it in.
“Deal?” he asks.
“All right.” I nod. “Complements.”
He’s leading me over to the door before I can change my mind. There’s an elevator here, just like it was in the Tau City Extraction Tower, but the doors are wide open and there’s nothing but empty space below us when we peek down.