I glanced at it. "Nick was translating the counterspell for me, for the geis."

"This isn't the counterspell," Pritkin said, his face draining of color as I watched. I glanced down at the paper, but it didn't make much sense.

ASKION: Shadowless ones. Where gods once ruled,

KATASKION: Shadowy. Humans now do.

LIX: Earth. Earth is blocked

TETRAX: Time. To Time's Guardian.

DAMNAMENEUS: Sun overpowered. With this, the sun is overpowered.

AISION: True Voice. And the oracle speaks with a true voice.

Pritkin grabbed me by the arms. "Take us back, quickly!"

"Back where?"

"To the moment Nick got up to leave! I have to catch him!"

"Why, what did he—"

"There's no time to explain. Just do it!"

I pushed a limp strand of hair out of my eyes and tried to focus. God, I was so tired. "I can't shift right now. Maybe tomorrow—"

Pritkin swore. "If I don't find him, there won't be a tomorrow!" And he was gone. I didn't even see him leave, just the door slamming shut behind him.

Chapter 26

And then the lights went out. I sat there in the dark and seriously thought about putting my head down and going to sleep. It was nice and quiet down here, and maybe no one would find me until morning.

If there was a morning.

I groaned and got up. As I'd always suspected, being in charge sucked. Especially when no one even realized you were.

I felt around until I was sure I had the entire Codex, rolled it all, including the translation of the spell I didn't need, into a tube and wrapped a rubber band around it. Then I shoved the whole thing down my bodice. Mircea hadn't laced it as tightly as Sal, but it still fit snugly, and with the tube down there taking up what little room there was, breathing once more became an issue. But at least no one was budging that thing. Now if I didn't pass out from lack of air, everything would be fine.

I eased out into the corridor and tried to remember how far it was to the fire stairs. But it's not the sort of thing you really notice when the lights are on. I'd covered what I thought was about the right distance when someone grabbed me.

I screamed and somebody yelled and then I was slammed up against the wall. It hurt and I was already in a foul mood. I didn't hold back at all when I kneed whoever-it-was in the groin.

"You'd better hope that doesn't scar!" Casanova hissed.

"You're a vampire. You'll heal. What are you doing here?"

"It's my casino!" he said, a little shrilly. "I have every right to be here. It's you and your hoodlum friends who need to go, before you cause any more trouble!"

"Avoiding trouble is not a big motivator for me these days. Not dying is a big motivator for me; not watching Mircea go insane is a big motivator for me. Speaking of which—"

"The Senate isn't here, but I just received word that they're on their way. And I haven't been confirmed in this job yet, you know! How do you think it's going to look when the Consul shows up and the whole damn place is dark?"

"Why is she coming here?" That was all I needed.

"How the hell should I know? Do I look like someone who is regularly consulted on Senate matters? I try to stay as far away from those crazy bastards as possible." He paused. "Lord Mircea excepting, of course."

"Of course. Why is it dark in here?"

"Because one of those freeloaders you dumped on me has caused a blackout!"

"You can't be sure it's the kids," I said, feeling guilty.

"Oh, no? Well, the power company says we have power. They all but called me an idiot when I called them just now! Yet, no lights. And, if I may point out, no slot machines, no table games, no anything. I'm losing a fortune here!"

"It's been all of ten minutes. Relax. I'll take care of it."

"You're damn right you will. Right now!"

"Stop yelling. I have a bigger problem. Have you seen Nick?"

"Yes, how do you think I found you? He said—"

I grabbed Casanova by what felt like his lapels and shook him. "Where is he?"

He pried my hands off with a curse. "Again, how the hell should I know? And this is imported Italian silk, all right?"

"Where did you see him?"

"In the lobby. I ran into him right after the lights went out. He was trying to find a way out of here and I was trying to find you. We traded information."

"You helped him leave?" I grabbed Casanova again, despite his curse.

"I pointed him in the right direction; I didn't personally escort him out. And what difference does it make?"

"You have to stop him!"

"I'll make you a deal. Get those urchins of yours to undo whatever they did wrong this time and I'll have the mage detained. I've got a near panic going on in the lobby!"

"Fine." I doubted the low-level vamps Casanova employed would have much luck stopping a war mage, but maybe they could slow him down long enough for Pritkin to locate him.

Casanova called security on his cell phone while we navigated the dark stairs. It turned out that he hadn't been exaggerating the situation in the lobby. A few security people had flashlights that they were waving around like strobes over the frightened crowd, while others yelled contradictory instructions through bullhorns. A bunch of gamers were playing guitars and singing in the corner, in the faint glow of the lighters they held over their heads. I thought I recognized the tune, but the words seemed to be something about the nazgul. And the pterodactyl things were watching it all out of bright, hungry eyes.

I scanned the room for Nick, but it was really difficult to make out faces. Casanova started toward the security team, most of whom were over by the moat. Boats poled along by Charons in black robes and death masks usually ferried people back and forth between the entrance and the lobby, but they were beached due to the lack of light, and the drawbridge that served as an alternate entrance appeared to be stuck in the open position.

A couple of impatient types had decided to try wading the moat and found it deeper than they'd expected. The security detail was fishing them out, while preventing anyone else from following. And another guard was forcibly restraining someone who already had one foot in the water.

Someone who looked an awful lot like Nick.

"There!" I pointed, but Casanova was ahead of me. A gesture sent two of his vampire guards to help the beleaguered human, but Nick somehow dodged them, making for the backstage areas and, presumably, the employee exits.

"Tell security to close off the exits," I told Casanova.

"Which ones?"

"All of them!" I wasn't taking a chance on Nick doubling back, something that would be all too easy in this crowd.

Casanova got busy on the phone as I tried to keep track of Nick in the squirming, flickering mass of humanity. For five long minutes I lost sight of him; then one of the pterodactyl things screeched and I looked skyward. I grabbed Casanova's arm and pointed. "Look!"

Several security men's flashlights followed my gesture. The twin beams illuminated the figure of a man, who looked like he was somehow walking on thin air. Casanova blinked. "What's that crazy bastard think he's doing?"

"What is he standing on?" I hadn't thought the mages numbered levitation in their repertoire.

"The catwalks. They're painted the same color as the ceiling so nobody notices them. We use them for making repairs." Casanova grabbed a flashlight from the nearest guard and shone it between a maze of glittering rock formations. I still couldn't see what he was talking about, but Nick was obviously standing on something.

"Why is he up there?"

"He's probably trying to make it out onto the roof, assuming he doesn't break his fool neck first." Casanova cursed. "My insurance premiums are going to skyrocket if he falls."